Beyond the Wisteria Curtain
by NovemberDoll
Summary: As far as she wanted to remember, she had an active imagination. The adults gave her medications to ward off her imaginary friends. Now, as an adult herself, she is living as how grown-ups should. But as she returns to the place of bittersweet memories, she finds herself vacillating between the thin line of reality, and a magical world she painfully left behind. (SxK, AU)
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**_ An important note: this is Alternate Universe- Fantasy. Just like my first fic, there will be weird moments. I won't hold back with the weirdness. Anyone who is expecting this to follow Canon and feudal era will be quite disappointed. The other world she will stumble into, although similar, is a totally different universe.

I'm letting you know beforehand so that you know what you're walking into. So if you aren't into the two being in a different universe and in a story following a totally different plot, then this one might not be for you.

But if you'll stick around, thanks. I love SessKag so much it's ridiculous.😊

Intro only. Longer chapters ahead.

* * *

 _ **-Beyond the Wisteria Curtain-**_

 _Chapter 1_

* * *

"They're all here," the little girl said, "Mama, let me go and greet them."

The girl reached out to the window, trying to blink away the fuzziness in her eyes. But no matter how hard she tried, everything seemed like a blur, every outline was obscured. She was trapped in a dense cloud of fog, just like the thick mist that covered the sleepy little town of Hazakura, every second evening in the month of April.

The thick mist would usually signal rain, and the fireflies would emerge by the creek. The Cherry trees that lined the grounds of the shrine would blossom, bringing in people from all parts of the world.

Indeed, Hazakura was a very special place, every second evening in the month of April.

But it was not evening, and it was not April.

It was a snowy afternoon in the month of November.

"Kagome, daughter, there is no one outside." An exhausted, albeit gentle voice, drifted into the quiet room. It was Mayuko, the child's mother. Tired eyes from lack of sleep, sunken cheeks from self-neglect, the woman looked considerably fatigued. She had spent the whole night looking for her precious little girl, and the wee hours of dawn awake, watching over her as she slept.

"No, they're here." the little girl could barely speak, her tongue slurring from the medications administered to her just a few minutes past. "The toad-man, the two-headed beast… even my white _inu_ …" she rambled, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, fighting the influence of heavy sedation her little body was subjected to. "Why is he here? it's not even firefly season…"

The girl's mother shifted her teary-eyed gaze to the other corner of the room.

A bespectacled man with graying hair and traditional Kimono observed silently, his austere face void of any emotion. It was a face he had mastered throughout the many years of field practice, to patients who did not quite fit into societal norms.

"Has she taken her morning dose?" he asked, and the girl's mother nodded. He studied them for a while, until he drew in a steady intake of breath. "Mayuko, we might need to increase her dosage."

The woman shook her head. "Since you increased it last week, she could hardly talk." She curled a protective hand around the little girl's fingers, which were lethargic and barely responsive. "Doctor, we might be sedating her too much."

"Mayuko. Why did you call me here?" the doctor said, a hint of impatience leaking out of his voice. The weathered psychologist had traveled six hours from the city just to answer the woman's distressed call.

Mayuko hung her head and cried, unable to express her frustration. Just last night they had found the girl unconscious, yet again by the abandoned well house covered in wisteria vines. It was apparent that her daughter had been there the whole night, amidst the snow, her body temperature had dropped to the point of hypothermia.

And when the little girl came to, the usual reasoning was that she had to visit her friends, she had to visit her _white inu._

"I don't understand," Mayuko shook her head, "No one in our family had a history of mental disorders,"

"It could be a lot of factors, Mayuko. She might have suffered anoxia in utero, there might be some chemical imbalances in the brain, she might have just inherited a defective gene. Imaginary friends are typical, but to a certain point. Her hallucinations… it's crippling what's supposed to be normal development." he cast a solemn gaze at the shivering child, "And lately, it's been endangering her life."

Little Kagome shifted and attempted to stand. "Mama, they're calling me. They can't see me in here, they can't come in unless you invite them in…"

The woman clenched her fists and weakly turned behind her, to the open shoji doors where the girl had been incessantly pointing to. The empty branches of the Cherry trees were overweighed with snow, its slender trunks looking like ghosts lined beside each other; ancient sentinels to the old shrine they were sheltered in.

And the grounds were lonely…

As lonely as the quiet snow, falling from the heavens, laying to rest on the slumbering earth.

Lonely, as it was in all the months that were not April.

"Kagome," she repeated, "There is no one there."

The girl shook her head. "There is." Kagome insisted, her hands clenched in frustration. "They have something to tell me. He has something on his hand…" and the little girl gasped. "A sapling? The Kamis have granted us a sapling! I wonder… if it's a girl or a boy," she braced her hands to sit up. "I wanted a girl… I asked him if we could name her Rin if it's a girl," Her blue eyes suddenly flared with childish excitement. "Mama. I have to find out!" she pulled her hand away from her mother and shot up.

"Kagome!" Mayuko cried out, holding her down. The old doctor rushed to the pair, and with firm hands he held the girl on the other side, pinning her back to the futon. Her mother could not hold her sobs.

"Mama, why are you pushing me down?" tears started to streak from her trusting blue eyes, "I just need to talk to them, I just need to talk to him,"

"She's having a psychotic crisis." The old doctor struggled with the girl's abnormal strength, "Adrenalin is helping her body. We need to calm her down, or she'll burn herself out."

"Let go of me," Kagome started writhing, "What's wrong with just going outside and talking to them? Let go of me!"

"Kagome! No one is out there!" Her mother sobbed, as she watched the good doctor pull away and fumble through is medicine bag. He pulled out two vials, and started drawing up the liquid in a sterile syringe, "Kagome please," Mayuko pleaded, "They're not real, it's all in your head… they're not real…"

"No… no!" the girl screamed, her inhibitions dragged down by the effects of the many medicines, and she ripped away from her mother and darted to the door. But the old doctor caught her, and her mother wrapped her in her arms, restricting her rabid movements, dragging her back to the floor.

"Please, Kagome," she cried, "My gentle little daughter," she held the thrashing girl tight.

"We will need to calm her down, or else she hurts herself-" he expelled the air out of the needle.

And it was then that the girl realized what the doctor was holding. She drew back. "Not that," her eyes darkened, "Please, not that…"

"Kagome-chan," the doctor said, "This is to help you calm down,"

The girl shook her head, "It hurts! And it makes me dizzy… please no! Why are you giving that to me?" she crawled away, "Why?!"

"Kagome-chan, we just want to help you get through this," the doctor reassured, so very gently. But the little girl drew back, hiding inside herself, curling into the corner like a withering leaf at the dead of autumn.

All the adults.

And the children from school. Her neighbors, her family.

She knew what their silent glances of pity were for. She was aware of the mocking laughter behind her back. The whispering, the way they talked to her as if she were slow to understand.

Her mother's tears,

The faces of the many doctors that visited the shrine.

"I'm not crazy!" she finally screamed, "I'm not crazy! They're right outside, can't you see them?!" she flung her hands, but her mother and the doctor closed in on her. He grabbed her arm, all the while the little girl resisted. "Why don't you just let me go to them!"

Mayuko shook her head and looked away. She could not bear to look as the doctor stuck the needle in her daughter's skin. The woman closed her eyes, trying to drown out her girl's pained screams. And she tried to bring her thoughts elsewhere, to where it all began.

It all started with the hallucinations, when Kagome was four.

Imaginary friends- first it was a white dog with golden eyes. Then more were gradually added: a two-headed beast of burden, a toad-man… a giant cat, a wind nymph. Many others were mentioned. Everyone thought it was cute, everyone was impressed by her creative mind.

But as the years passed by, Mayuko noticed how her usually bubbly daughter would come home from school all silent and withdrawn. She later found out that Kagome was being bullied because of her wild imaginations.

At ten years old, it was not normal to be talking about imaginary friends as if they were real.

It was not normal to insist on seeing or hearing things that a roomful of people could not see or hear.

It was not normal to be smiling and waving at an unseen person, or muttering silent apologies, engaging in short conversations to nothing but air.

And it was not normal to fall into severe catatonia… leaving the real world behind, and existing in an imaginary one, for hours…sometimes for days, deep in the confines of the individual mind.

"Her disorder is getting worse." The doctor said as the thrashing was finally receding, and the girl was merely whispering instead of screaming. Kagome's eyes fluttered upward, the effect of the sedatives finally reaching her system.

"She can't live like this for the rest of her life," her mother said, wiping the tears off her daughter's cheeks.

"Sesshomaru is waiting," Kagome now whispered, "Mama… he does not like waiting… he's a stubborn… little… puppy…" she smiled softly,

"My stubborn… little puppy," the girl finally closed her eyes.

Her mother rested her weary head on Kagome's form, relieved at the steady rise and fall of her little chest. "She can't live like this for the rest of her life," Mayuko absently repeated, stroking her daughter's hair lovingly, very carefully, not wanting to break the child's slumber. "Doctor… I don't know what else to do."

"I'll take her with me to Tokyo," The old doctor said, "If you're alright with the idea. She will receive advanced treatment there. We will arrange for daily psychotherapy with my top students,"

"Are you saying my daughter will be your test subject-"

"I will take her under my wing." The doctor clarified, and there was a curious glint of emotion that veiled over his eyes.

Mayuko sat quietly still. She did not bother to ask for the man's reasoning, because she already knew. The well-renowned Doctor Akitoki and his wife had recently lost their fourteen-year-old daughter from a narcotic overdose. She was diagnosed with another disorder, and the stigma had apparently affected her more than her psychiatrist parents had thought it had.

It was too late for their daughter.

Hopefully, it won't be for hers.

The doctor shifted, "We will care for her as if she were our own. Her treatment will be strictly regulated by me, and no one else. You can visit her anytime you want," he said, "We'll answer for her expenses. And my son Hojo is just about the same age as she. He can keep her company, so she won't miss her little brother Souta while she is away."

In what seemed like long moments, the girl's mother finally conceded. She nodded her head and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Kagome, we'll get through this."

And as they busied themselves to make their quiet preparations, the two adults failed to see: outside, at the quiet of the shrine grounds, a thick mist was slowly creeping on the white earth.

The fireflies were shyly emerging from the frozen creek, and the cherry trees were starting to awaken with fragile little buds.

And this would always happen to the sleepy little town of Hazakura, every second evening in the month of April.

But it was not evening, and it was not April.

It was a snowy afternoon in the month of November.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Beyond the Wisteria Curtain**_

 _Chapter 2_

* * *

It was on a quiet April afternoon when the woman with blue eyes stepped off the modern train, and into the platform. She paused with a frown and looked around.

There was a quickening in her heart, and a quiet whisper in the wind.

The train station was empty. Far from the bustling chaos she remembered, she felt as if she stepped into another time. The metal waiting benches were falling apart, dissolving with rust as it creaked and swung with the shy spring breeze. The high arch roof that sheltered the platform was covered with creepers, the strong vines curling over the poles, and a lush overgrowth of green carpeted the ground.

The rays of the afternoon sun spilled on the overgrowth, diffusing prisms of undisturbed dust that were rising from the earth. It looked like little fireflies, rising from the grass, greeting her in welcome.

The trees where sighing, weary from the day. And everything else was quietly still.

It was when her eyes settled on a faded sign that the quickening in her heart calmed.

 _-Hazakura-_

She sighed in relief.

The woman gathered her bags and trudged through the green lush, neglected leaves from Kami knows what season slushing at her feet. She tried to ignore a small itch as the weeds brushed her exposed ankles. She patted at a reliable-looking bench by the empty ticket stall and sat down, momentarily anxious at the creaking sound it made.

She waited for quite a while and eased. The bench did not give way underneath her.

Settling her bags on her feet she searched for her smartphone. On the screen was her most recent Instagram page, displaying a picture of her smiling at the train station in Bunkyo.

 _-After sixteen years, I finally get to go home.-_

The woman scrolled down on the comments. Mostly from her students, some from her co-workers. Others from her acquaintances, the unique individuals she had met from her line of work.

 _-Professor, can I come with?-_

 _-Bring us a souvenir, Higurashi-sensei.-_

 _-Kagome, I expect to see you again in two weeks or else!-_

 _-Keep safe, Higurashi-sama.-_

Kagome scrolled down, but the page did not refresh. The little signal indicator on the upper right hand of her phone was empty, there was no connection. With a soft sigh, she slid her phone back into her bag and stared at the quiet isolation around her.

And she gazed for longer moments... at the empty branches of the scattered Sakura trees, the only vegetation that remained asleep in the middle of the jubilant spring.

 _Blurred memories of snow-white hair flashed into her mind, "You'll come back, won't you?" the vague memory drifted, of the stubborn pleas of a child with familiar golden eyes, "You said I can keep you forever, you promised to be mine..._

 _You promised."_

She shook her head, cursing herself for her momentary lapse of control.

"Your first time in this place?" a newcomer's voice drifted in the silence, and Kagome turned to the source. A middle-aged man was seated on the other side of the bench, sipping tea from a portable tumbler. His blue uniform was crisp and well-ironed, and the badge on his chest identified him as the station master. The door to the ticket booth was ajar.

A sad smile flitted across her lips. A whole day on this place… such a lonely job it would be.

"No," she answered, "I grew up here."

"Then you've been away for quite some time," he said.

Blue eyes lifted in curiosity.

The man motioned to the umbrella that was slung on one of her bags. "It rarely ever rains in Hazakura, not since the cherry trees stopped blooming. That was sixteen years ago. I do remember... such a prosperous time it was before then."

He continued to sip on his tea, a distant look fixed in his eyes. And as he sat there pondering at whatever could have been, the woman settled back with a wistful gaze. Judging from the neglected platform and the quips of the lonely station master, it seemed like the articles about her little town were quite accurate- Hazakura had slowly ebbed into the list of the forgotten places that used to be.

"Many years ago, this sleepy town was barely on the map." The master said, the steam of his tea rising in puffs to his weathered face, "A little dot that one could easily miss if you didn't look close enough. It was true, for so many years. But then it started to rain. Not a drizzle, not a downpour. Just enough to nurture the earth. And it rained at the right places at the right times,

And a lot of magical things happened.

But most of the magic happened every second evening in the month of April. Fireflies swarmed the river. The barren Sakura trees that scattered around Hazakura- and concentrated around the Shrine- started blooming. Wisteria that seemed to sprout from nowhere had curled around its slender trunks,

And it was such a beautiful sight.

So beautiful it was that it brought people from all parts of the world.

People say the spirit world had come to favor the humble folk. But others say, and this is what I believe... that the _Weather God_ himself had found his bride, right here in this little town. He was seeking her favor, trying to convince her to cross to the other realm and be with him forever.

But no one knows what really happened, because one day the rain stopped. The fireflies did not visit, and the cherry trees stopped blooming.

And the beauty of sleepy Hazakura withered away into the barren town it is now."

A sudden honk startled the woman from the station master's story, and she turned to the road. Her eyes brightened considerably. Sitting on the driver's seat of a sleek, black _Mercedes_ was a familiar man with neatly combed hair and kind, brown eyes. She stood up and waved, "Hojo-kun!" she smiled.

It was Hojo, the son of her late psychiatrist guardian. Back in Tokyo, she would refer to her childhood friend as _Dr. Akitoki_ , much to his fluster. He had been her classmate until they parted ways after pre-med. Unlike his psychiatrist parents, Hojo went off to specialize in internal medicine and became a fellow in the General Hospital, while she delved into the field of Psychiatry. But she did not practice in the field after earning her degree- she became the head clinical professor at the University.

The ever-flustered MD waved back and fumbled for his seatbelt, disengaging himself and stepped out of the vehicle.

Kagome turned to the station master and gathered her bags, "Thanks for keeping me company, ojii-san. My ride's here,"

He waved her off, "No, thanks for keeping _me_ company." he continued sipping his tea. And just as she stood up and walked away, the station master paused. "I do remember you," he suddenly said, and Kagome turned around.

"How could I forget you, the little traveler with blue eyes." He smiled, "Ojou-sama, I hope that the Higher gods guide and protect you in all that is to come," Kagome's brow met, confused. "And I hope that _he_ has fared well on the other side."

His eerie silver gaze met hers, and the delighted glint in his eyes slowly melted into sadness. "Even if one is not touched by the cruel hands of time, sixteen years will seem like forever... when you are waiting for someone you love." he bowed down slightly, "Thank you for coming back."

Kagome stiffened.

And a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder. Startled, she spun around.

"Kagome-chan," Hojo's tall form loomed over her petite one in concern, "You alright?"

She looked back at him, unaware that her lips were parted, and her eyes were wide and fearful. "The station master," she said as she turned,

And she saw no one.

Not a single soul except for themselves, standing in the middle of the abandoned platform, the golden afternoon sun streaming its lonely light.

"You must be tired," Hojo settled a hand on her head, "I told you we'd just drive together to this place."

Kagome smiled apologetically. "Both of us scheduling our leave at the same time has sparked rumors. How much more if I agreed to a six-hour ride with you?" she laughed softly, "Then they'd really think we're dating."

A flock of ducks scattered in the distant sky, seeking shelter at the end of the day. It momentarily distracted the woman, but her companion's continued silence prompted her to check on him. He was staring at her with a hopeful look on his eyes.

"So what if they think we're together?" he said, "Is the idea of dating your childhood friend so bad to you, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome stepped back.

"I'm not pressuring you or anything," he sighed, loosening his tie, "I'm just asking you to give me a chance." with an exhausted smile he bent down and fondly kissed her forehead, "Come now, Souta has been waiting to see you."

Her childhood friend leaned down and picked up her bags, prodding her to follow. And as she trailed from behind, she looked back... to the empty seat on the lonely, run-down platform.

Relapses in her control were normal, even with meds. And through the years she had learned to forgive herself… because her hallucinations never really ended, because she was well aware of her very real illness. And Kagome would learn to shrug these momentary mistakes off… she knew they weren't real.

But the imagined message had somehow stuck in her mind.

" _Even if one is not touched by the cruel hands of time, sixteen years will seem like forever, when you are waiting for someone you love."_

She turned to the Doctor's receding figure and headed his way.

* * *

"Finally!" Kagome plopped down on the tatami with her laptop, elated at the connection she had to the outside world. Her social media was filled with comments, her inbox clumped with unread messages. She began navigating through the touch screen when the computer was suddenly shut on her face.

The sight of Souta's frown replaced the computer. "After sixteen years you finally set foot on your hometown, yet this is what you choose to do?" He huffed, "Might as well go back to your precious city."

"It's my downtime," Kagome protested, opening her laptop and hovering her finger on the touchscreen, "Besides, the festival isn't until tomorrow. So go cook dinner like a good little host while I finish off my work." She skipped the messages and went straight to a folder named "Dissertations" and started poring through the frightening blocks of paragraphs before her.

Souta drew back. "What the hell? Are you grading your student's thesis in the middle of your paid leave?"

"This is the only time I can do this, or else it will pile up like a nightmare when I return. Besides, I'm in the University's portal. I would have started this earlier but there was no internet connection-"

Kagome suddenly gasped, leaving her jaw open in disbelief. Souta was holding the dial-up cable on his hands.

He had pulled out the only primitive connection she had to the internet.

"Why you little-" she started, lunging at her younger brother. But she was easily tackled, her little brother was not so little anymore.

Not so little, ignoring the fact that he was the Captain of Hazakura Police. As he wrestled her prying hands from the flimsy DSL cable they ended up on the floor, laughing their hearts out. She reached out and ruffled his hair. "I missed you, little prick. Your visits in Tokyo was all too rare,"

"I had to make a name for myself," he settled down, beaming. "I had to be one of the strongest figures here... so no one would dare bully you when you decide to come back."

Kagome's smile turned wistful, "You should have just moved to Tokyo. There are more opportunities there,"

"I'd rather stay here and watch over the Shrine," Souta said with an apologetic smile.

Kagome laughed softly, "You're such a mama's boy. Even in her passing, you can't bear to leave her,"

"I promised her I'd watch over the Shrine, Onee-san. And besides, I belong here in Hazakura. I can't imagine being anywhere else."

The professor reached out and pinched his cheeks, "look at you, being poetic and all. I know why you have no plans of leaving. I heard there's this beautiful little shopkeeper you've been settling your eyes on,"

"That's no secret! I'll introduce you to my girlfriend tomorrow at the festival. I'm sure you'll love her, onee-san."

"Can't wait," she smiled brightly, giving him the thumbs up. And he caught her hand and twisted it to the floor, the woman yelping in exaggerated pain. "Hey, if this is how you are treating your girlfriend, I'd suggest for her to run for the hills-"

Souta stood up and straightened his yukata. "You're the only recipient of such special treatment, onee-san. You should be honored."

"No thanks." She stood up herself and dusted her shirt, fixing her messed-up ponytail. Gathering her laptop she turned to the large, winding hallways of the house that led into the rooms. "Souta, call me when dinner is ready. I'll be in my room."

"Yes, _master._ " He rolled his eyes and waved her off, disappearing into the corner.

She paused for a while.

And with hesitant steps, Kagome headed to her room.

* * *

In her sixteen years away, she realized that nothing had really changed. Except that the room had become considerably smaller... and Souta was kind enough to install some AC. She dropped her bags by the doorway and stepped inside.

Although newly laundered, her sheets were the same linens she had used, so many years ago. The same broken TV, the same little square dial-up radio sitting on her desk.

She ran her hands on her wooden study, settling her gaze on the framed pictures: Of her as a toddler holding her mother's hand, another one of her standing beside a bicycle on her way to her first day of school,

And of her and her little brother, standing in the middle of a crowd, smiling ear to ear.

Kagome smiled. She remembered this, it was after one of the Firefly festivals of Hazakura. She was nine and he was seven. She had won a prize in the archery booth: in the picture, she had a large fox plush on her arms.

But the smile in her lips faded, realizing that the plush also held bittersweet memories.

" _I gave it to my Inu, so it could help watch over our little sapling should the Kamis decide to grant our wish."_

" _Kagome," her mother looked at her with pity, "You don't have to lie. It's okay to tell me that you lost it... I won't be mad." she tightly gathered her in her arms._

" _Mama, it's true. I gave it to Sesshomaru so it could keep our fertile earth warm-"_

 _But Kagome held back. Her mother was crying again._

 _And she didn't know what else to do._

She released an exhausted breath, flopping bonelessly on her futon. Staring at the ceiling she put a hand over her forehead, "Perhaps this was a bad decision after all..." she whispered to herself, "Maybe I wasn't ready to come back like I thought I would be. Akitoki-sama..." she thought of her late guardian, her father-figure. "What should I do..."

She sighed and sat up.

And she stood and reached for the window and opened it, the crisp spring breeze meeting her face. The small forest outside their single-level home remained as tranquil as she had last remembered. And there it was, sitting by the border was the abandoned well house, where it all started.

She closed her eyes and momentarily allowed herself to relax.

Years and years of psychotherapy, the tapering of her high-dosage meds... and the final acceptance of her clinical diagnosis. Kagome opened her eyes and imagined her guardians gently patting her on the back.

She had gone a long way from where she had been.

" _You will know what is real and what is not,"_ Dr. Akitoki once said.

She gathered herself and climbed onto the wooden sill. And just like many years ago, she jumped off her window and headed to the abandoned little well house.

* * *

Of all the structures of the Higurashi shrine, this was the only one that her little brother never seemed to keep. Much like the run-down train station of Hazakura, the abandoned well house was filled with dead leaves, the wood creaking and rotting, and the smell of wet grass and earth lingered heavily in the air.

A few steps forward and she found herself by the lip of the well. She stepped back, studying the structure. In her memories it was covered so heavily by abnormally large wisteria vines, creeping from the mouth of the well, covering the stone lip, even covering the ground.

But now, as Kagome reached out to the dead vines, it crumbled like ashes on her hands.

Like the memories of the horrible bullying in middle school.

Crumbled, like the dreamlike images of her whimsical friends.

And she let the soft ashes of her past fall from her hands into the ground. Kagome leaned over the mouth of the well and peered, and she found it empty.

Empty, as it had always been, and always will be.

It was then that she released a breath she had not realized she had been holding. The tension of meeting the cause of her childhood trauma faded away, and a certain sense of victory swelled up in her. She smiled despite herself.

"I'm okay now, Mama. You don't have to worry about me anymore," she whispered.

"Onee-san!" Souta's booming voice drifted through the quiet of the grounds, and Kagome turned to the open door of the well house. From afar, Souta was waving at her from her bedroom window. "Dinner is ready!"

Her gaze shifted to the sky, she did not realize it was getting dark. "I'll be there in a minute!" she yelled, and hurriedly strode to exit. "Shit," she suddenly cursed when she felt a sharp pain slice across her palm-

The flat of her hand that settled on the stone lip had caught on a jagged edge. Rivulets of her blood dropped from her arm to the lip of the well, down to the undisturbed earth. Holding pressure on her wound, Kagome mentally berated herself for being so clumsy. Seeing that the wound was not deep enough to garner any unnecessary fretting, she took the ribbon on her hair and wound it around, effectively stopping the bleeding.

"You ingrate!" Her brother's impatient voice floated into the grounds, "How dare you rush me into cooking and ditch me in the end!"

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "I said I'll be there in a minute!" Without even closing the broken door behind her, Kagome walked away.

Had she looked back, she would have seen her blood soak the earth, and the exposed roots on the ground stir restlessly.

She would have seen the life surging into the dead wisteria vines, like a rush of blood into dehydrated veins.

And she would have seen the soft blue glow it was emitting, as the newly awakened tendrils crept into the lip of the well,

Reaching deeper,

into a place of forgotten promises.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Beyond the Wisteria Curtain**_

 _Chapter 3_

* * *

It was, as one could describe, a lazy morning. The sun was already at a high point in the sky, the white curtains swayed leisurely with the cool spring breeze.

The woman with blue eyes sat up and stretched. Her gaze drifted to the little clock on her desk, 9 a.m. She held her head between her hands, unused to the hangover-like feeling of oversleeping. She had never slept in so late before, at least when she was in Tokyo. She was used to the blare of the alarm clock, of the nuked _microwave breakfasts_ and the noise of her colleague-roommates, rushing out for their morning classes.

But as she padded out of her room, the wooden floor creaked with every step. The ticking of the grandfather clock echoed in the narrow hallways, and it was so silent she could hear the splashing of the koi in the outdoor pond.

There was a sloppily-written note on the table.

 _-Prepared your breakfast, unfortunately, you have to make your own lunch. Dinner with my girlfriend and her family. We'll meet in the town square at 6 pm._

 _See you later, Onee-san.-_

Kagome opened the covered food and found a round little object wrapped in paper, with a picture of a sausage-and-egg muffin. She had to smile.

A nuked microwave breakfast.

"Sorry, Souta-chan. I'll be skipping breakfast for now." She checked her phone, there was a text message from Hojo.

 _-Good Morning. Lunch at my place? I've invited some classmates in middle school.-_

* * *

"Ohayou,"

Was the solemn greeting when she stepped outside the grounds. All showered up and ready for the day, Kagome greeted the old woman sweeping the thousand steps. The familiar woman waved back, giving her a generous smile.

"Little mistress! How you've grown!"

It was Kaede, the old Miko that once owned the shrine. From time beyond remembrance, it was the old woman's ancestors that possessed ownership of the land, until her husband's health took a turn for the worse.

They were forced to sell the land title and everything that went along with it.

And so it ended up in the Higurashi's name.

But still, the old woman would come up to the shrine, more often than needed, volunteering work, offering their constant presence, eventually becoming somewhat part of their little family.

They couldn't leave whatever was… could not move on to whatever would be.

Just like every other person that stayed in Hazakura, and every other thing in this little town.

"It's been a while, Kaede-san. How is little Souten?"

"Tsk, not so little anymore. That's not a question for me now. You should ask your younger brother. He gets to see her more often than I do."

Kagome drew back, her cheeks flushing a pretty shade of red, "Oh,". And she laughed, her mirth like little crystals ringing in the quiet of the spring morning.

 _Well good for him, he has a stable love life._

 _I never even had a first boyfriend._

 _Damn it, Kagome. Twenty-six and not even a first kiss?!_

Kaede looked at her with an awkward regard, "I'm sure you'll get one, little mistress. It's one of those things that will come to you when you stop waiting."

Kagome gasped and covered her mouth. "Shit, did I say that out loud?"

The old woman smiled, and Kagome laughed apologetically.

"It's so nice to hear your laughter again, though." Kaede suddenly said, setting aside her broom and shifting her gaze to the rows of barren Sakura trees. "Maybe now that you're here, your laughter will breathe in new life to our place. The Shrine has been quite empty without you."

And the little girl, now all grown up into a lovely young woman, gave her a warm smile that never really changed throughout the years. "Glad to know that I've been missed."

"Where are you headed right now?"

"Souta-chan told me to pick up my Miko clothes at the tailor shop." She said, fidgeting with the seams of her shirt. "I know we're not hosting anything anymore, and the festival will be held in the town square…but I thought that since I'll be here for two weeks anyway, I might as well go all in and indulge in my nostalgia." She smiled brightly at Kaede. "I know I'm no Miko, but-"

"You don't have to explain," Kaede bowed gently, "Wear whatever you want. You're home now, little mistress. Now trudge along," she pushed the woman gently, "I'll see you later at dinner."

"Hai," Kagome beamed and waved goodbye.

Another gust of spring breeze blew, carrying a longing whisper from memories past. Images of a little girl in miko robes drifted into Kaede's mind,

" _Thank you," she said, with a shy blush on her cheeks, "It's beautiful, yes," she paused, looking beside her, to nobody in particular, "Yes, of course, I love it. Thank you for this,"_

" _Kagome, child?" Kaede stepped in, "Who are you talking to?"_

" _Oh," she spun around, grinning from ear to ear, "My little puppy! He came to visit me. Sesshomaru, don't be a stranger and say hi to Kaede Obaa-san,"_

 _A little tingle in the air made the Miko's goosebumps rise. And the wind softly blew, the cherry trees suddenly rustled, sending in a breathtaking shower of pink blossoms._

 _Little Kagome laughed in satisfaction._

" _He's trying to convince me to stay with him on the other side. You see, Kaede-Obaa-san, from where he lives, the cherry trees never stop blooming unless he wills it to._

 _He sprouted from a Sakura seed… just like all the other white Inus before him. And I think that's very beautiful." The child looked beside her, to her invisible companion. "You don't believe me? You are beautiful," she laughed, "My beautiful little puppy…"_

 _And the wind yet again flurried, and a stronger blizzard of pink blossoms whirled around the girl's small form. And the child spun around as if she was dancing… with the whispering wind, and the soft tingle of the air, and the magic of the cherry blossoms that seemed to come alive with her smile._

* * *

Kagome settled her rusty old bicycle on the display in front of the tailor shop. She would have peeked inside, but it was covered with rolls of cloth and broken mannequins, the glass was frosted from dust and the passage of time.

She entered the shop, a soft chime from above the door resounding in the solemn silence, echoing in the dimly-lit room.

"Ohayou? Is anyone in here?"

The clacking of a sewing machine drifted from a back room somewhere, and a soft shuffling of feet followed. Kagome patiently stood to wait. And she looked around, and her eyes settled on a stained-glass lantern by the corner of the display window.

The bright afternoon sun hit the antique fixture, diffusing a beautiful kaleidoscope of multicolored lights throughout the room. And Kagome's lips parted, spellbound.

In her eyes, the prisms of light were little spirits:

Tiny, formless beings, who had just woken up from their afternoon nap.

She could hear their wee voices as they scurried to the corners of the room, making sure everything was just right for the old tailor when she came out from her own nap.

One little orb even fretted about a needle on the floor, and how it was such a danger. Kagome stepped back and bent down. She picked the little needle up and settled it on top of the wide table in front of her.

The little prism paused, and slowly, shyly came up to her.

" _Thank You. Wait… is that you?"_

" _It's her! It's her!"_

" _Who is it?"_

" _It's the little traveler,"_

" _Oh my! She's grown so pretty!"_

" _Can I see, can I see?!"_

Echoes of small voices clamored for her attention. The little lights diffused and concentrated on her form.

Kagome then smiled and looked away.

Sixteen years ago, she would have reached out and let the little spirits settle on her hand. She would have said 'yes, it is me.' And would have laughed as the little illusions would swarm her as they asked her to play with them.

She would have, if it were sixteen years ago.

But she knew that the lantern was tilted in such an angle that the sunlight would cast the stained-glass illusions on her corner. She knew that the floating little lights only seemed to move, because the magnolia trees outside were swaying, therefore shifting the sunlight.

She knew they were not real, they were only little tricks of her broken mind.

"Look at how you've grown," a familiar voice said, and Kagome spun around. A middle-aged lady was bowing genially before her, "Welcome back,"

"Akane-san," Kagome answered, giving her a short nod of acknowledgment. " I came to pick up the robes that Souta ordered."

"Ah, of course." The woman said, disappearing into the back room once again, and reappearing quickly. She produced a thick package and handed it to Kagome. "This is all according to the measurements you texted Officer Higurashi,"

Kagome softly giggled.

"You have to get used to it," Akane said, "Although some things have stayed the same, some have changed too, here in Hazakura. And that includes the fact that your brother has grown up." She smiled.

"I might need time for that thought to sink in," Kagome bowed politely, "Thank you."

"Come by to visit sometime," Akane waved, and Kagome nodded.

The blue-eyed woman opened the door to exit the dusty little tailor shop, and she paused. She gently cradled her hand on the knob as she stepped out, halfway turning, making sure she softly slid her hands off the hinge as it closed.

Throughout the years of wear and tear, the door would have slammed loudly, had it been closed any other way.

Akane smiled, "Still as courteous as ever." As she watched Kagome fiddle with her bicycle, grumbling as the chains failed to rotate, a little prism of light settled on the older woman's shoulder.

And the little light seemed to tremble excitedly.

* * *

"What do you think, mama?" Kagome spun around the mirror, the loose cloth of her Miko robes flapping in the air. It had been such a long time since she had seen herself in such an outfit. "Do I look good? I wanted to look like you, though." Kagome frowned as her gaze drifted to the picture frame hanging on the wall. Her mother was in similar Miko robes, her neat black hair in a long ponytail, brown eyes warm and sheltering. Her father's equally brown gaze looked back at her, and Kagome stepped back with a frown.

Her attention drifted back to the mirror, and she looked at herself, looked really hard.

" _She must be a spirit's child,"_

" _Maybe an abomination from a secret affair with a Youkai,"_

" _So superstitious. She's probably just adopted._

 _What else can explain those blue eyes?"_

She shook her head, "Stupid Kagome. There you go again, having all these weird thoughts. You're so weird. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend, you weirdo." And she stared at the clock by the doorway and sighed. An hour from now, she will be having a lunch date with Hojo and her middle-school classmates.

Her thoughts drifted to the brown-haired doctor, who had started courting her only after they graduated. Kagome plopped on her futon and let out a burdened breath. She gathered her pillows under her chin and stared out the window with a distant look in her eyes.

According to her colleagues, the young doctor grew up to be a "fine specimen" of the male species.

Kagome chuckled, "Fine specimen indeed," she grimaced, thinking of a boy with snot in his nose, crying over a flattened snail that she had trampled on accidentally when they were on their way to school.

"Uggghh," Kagome shook her head roughly, "That's the problem! Idiot, stop thinking of him as a little boy!"

She tried to focus, on his gentlemanly laugh, his coy smirks that were directed to her but would somehow miss target, of the gushing students who had fallen in love with him in a heartbeat,

 _And a sudden thought drifted, of a golden-eyed child, standing under a sakura tree, whining as he refused to look at her._

" _I don't want you to like anyone else," the child pouted, a profuse blush on his little cheeks, "You're already mine. You promised me."_

Kagome frowned, her attention automatically snapping away from the repressed memory. And her frown knitted into a deeper one when she squinted as her eyes settled to something else outside the window.

Gathering the loose cloth of her robes she stepped on the windowsill and jumped out of her room. She headed to the abandoned well house.

* * *

She ran her hands on the smooth of the large vines, her blue eyes wide in wonder.

The wisteria.

How had it grown so fast in only a span of a day?

Kagome bit her lip, drawing back from confusion. Perhaps she only failed to see because it had been dark? Or she was too tired? She suddenly felt the wooden walls around her close in, and her heart raced. She clutched her chest and tried to calm her breathing, she tried to recall the words of her father-figure.

"You'll be okay, Kagome," she whispered, "You will know what's real and what's not…"

She leaned over, into the lip of the dark well, her heart hammering so fast it was hard to catch her breath.

And the woman calmed.

Empty. As it had been, and will always be.

It was then that Kagome allowed herself to laugh. At her silly relapses, at her unfounded fears. And as she shook her head and walked away,

Her robe snagged on the rusted pulley system, pulling her back. She tripped on a wisteria vine. The lip of the well was too short that it hit behind her knees.

And to her utter horror, she found herself falling backward,

Into a strangely familiar unknown.

* * *

Kagome closed her eyes, bracing herself from the impact that would probably result in a broken hip, or worse, a broken spine. But the horrible fall did not come, and she found herself oddly in the same position that she was standing up. Her two feet were planted firmly on the floor.

She opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of what looked like a long tunnel, and her eyes widened in recognition:

"I've been here before," she whispered, breathless. She spun around, looked up, searched around: there was no real entry. It was all dark, and her hands somehow trustingly reached out, expecting the feel of those familiar vines that wrapped around the abandoned well house.

And it was there, as her tactile memory had remembered.

As she moved she felt a soft tickle on her head, and blindly she reached up, feeling soft petals on her hands.

The wisteria blooms were hanging from the roof of the tunnel, and something in her eerily calm soul stirred. A draft of wind softly passed her way, and her gaze shifted to the only light source of the comforting darkness:

The other end of the tunnel was covered with a heavy Wisteria curtain, the woman with blue eyes could only see the light behind the purple veil.

Slowly, cautiously, Kagome stepped towards the thick shroud.

And with trembling hands,

she reached out and pushed away the veil,

the flowers like silk on her skin.

A bright ray of light hit her vision, and she drew back, shielding her eyes from the blinding sun.

"Kagome-chan!" came the sudden call, and she felt herself being yanked back.

Kagome opened her eyes and gasped for breath, and she found herself slumped on the lip of the well, in the arms of her childhood friend. "Hojo-kun," she looked around, utterly confused, immensely nauseated.

She was back in the abandoned well house, the afternoon sun peeking through the cracks of the wooden panels, the smell of decaying plants wafting in her nose. "Kagome-chan, shit, are you awake?" He pulled away to verify, and when she looked back at him in confusion, he crushed her in the strongest embrace. "Shit, shit!" he cursed, "You had me so worried there…"

"Hojo-kun," she whispered, pulling away. Kagome reached out and ran her thumb across his cheek: he was crying, shedding tears for her in genuine worry.

"You didn't show up for lunch today, you didn't answer my text or calls," he frantically cupped his hands on her face, "I knew something went wrong. And I found you here by the well, motionless with your eyes open…"

"Hojo-kun," she said,

"Damn it, Gome-chan! I knew you weren't ready to come back to this place,"

"Hojo," Kagome said, taking his hands from her face and resting her head against his, "I'm okay," she whispered, trying to calm him down, trying to calm her own heart down, it was running so wildly in her chest. "It was just a relapse…" she said, trying to convince him, but mostly trying to convince herself,

"I'm okay. I'll be okay."

He shook his head and gathered her in his arms yet again, regulating his breaths, forcing his tears to stop for the sake of the recovering woman, "We have to go back to Tokyo. Kagome-chan, you can't stay here too longer-" The young doctor stopped when he felt her embrace him back. And it took quite an amount of his willpower to suppress the blush that was rising in his cheeks, when the woman buried her face on his shirt, seeking for his comfort.

She nodded her head. "Hai. We'll do that…first thing tomorrow morning.

I'm sorry I made you worry."

"Don't be." He said, planting a fond kiss on her forehead. And as he sat there with her wrapped in his arms, the young man softly smiled in relief.

* * *

The town square was littered with the glow of paper lanterns and rickety stalls, and people, mostly older folks and quite a few of the youth were milling about the brick pavements and cracked patios. Although it was not as crowded as the glory days that the town of Hazakura has witnessed in many years past, it was still a charming little festival in itself.

Laughter from little children, the boisterous yelling of a group of older men with bottles of sake before them-

She had a wonderful evening. They played under the archery booths, Souta was able to guess a little pig's weight right, and familiar and new people would stop them by and greet the police captain a good evening. Faces from middle school, all grown up and some adults that had grown old, some recognizing her and some not.

"That was a good dinner," Kagome smiled, bowing down to Kaede and Souten.

"Aye, maybe more dinners to come?" Kaede said,

"I'm going back to Tokyo tomorrow," Kagome answered, and Kaede nodded her head.

"It was good seeing you again, nevertheless."

"Thanks, same here." The woman with blue eyes said, and she gave the young woman beside Kaede a quiet little nod. Pretty Souten's eyes brightened and her cheeks diffused into a blush, shyly averting her eyes and nodding in return.

Kagome chuckled, "I have to get going. Souta-chan, I'll meet you at home." She paused and looked around, a wistful gaze on her eyes, "Although the cherry blossoms and the fireflies are gone, Hazakura is still as beautiful as I have remembered."

With the longing sigh of the evening spring breeze, Kagome turned to depart from their presence.

"W-wait," a small voice said, and Kagome turned around. It was Souten.

"You don't… have to leave, Kagome- _hime_." She hesitated, and Kagome looked at her police-officer brother in bewilderment. It was the first time Souten had talked for the whole evening, most of her interactions were spent avoiding eye contact or hiding behind anyone who was not a woman named Kagome.

And the blue-eyed woman could recall, it had always been that way with her, ever since she was a child. Little Souten, even as a toddler, would hide behind her grandmother's presence with a shy blush on her cheeks, never really talking directly to her,

Referring to her as _'hime'_ , which was cute when they were children, but quite embarrassing, now that they were adults.

The light blush on her cheeks only grew heavier, as Souten shyly looked away to avoid her eyes. "Hazakura is happier… when you are around."

Kagome stepped back, her brows knitted in confusion. And it was then that the blue-eyed woman in Miko robes laughed softly, "Thank you," she bowed down, "It's touching to know that I will be missed." And Kagome stepped back, walking away from the small little town square littered with the golden glow of paper lanterns, with towering magnolias and barren sakura trees,

Feeling the lonely sense of nostalgia swallowing her whole yet again.

There was nothing and everything in the sleepy little town of Hazakura. And that, the woman thought, was one of the reasons why it was so hard to leave.

* * *

She was alone in the quiet of the Shrine grounds, and she stared solemnly at the moon and the million stars above her. It was quite a rare view, and she could never access this beauty in the bustling city of Tokyo. She closed her eyes as she allowed the soft breeze to caress her face,

Maybe for the last time.

Her thoughts drifted to her childhood friend's desperate face as he held her in the abandoned well house, and she sighed in exhaustion.

He was perfect.

At least that was what everyone around her had been saying.

" _My White Inu," she laughed, "That's not even possible! I have to like mama, I have to like my little brother and our friends,"_

" _You're mine." The boy looked away, hiding his face, "I don't like it when you like someone else,"_

" _Tsk," she bit her cheek, "Let me put it this way. I like them… but I like you a lot more," she smiled when he turned to her, finally gaining eye contact, a soft, innocent blush spreading on his little cheeks,_

" _And it's… special, this like I have for you. You're special…_

 _my special little puppy…"_

 _The girl was knocked down to the grass, engulfed in a whirlwind of white fur and wet, sloppy licks to her face._

Kagome stood up and strode to the entrance of the house, trodded out of the tatami flooring, stepping onto the fresh-cut grass. Trapped within the confines of her mind and her whimsical, imagined memories, she headed to the sakura row where the shallow river ran.

And her eyes brightened in quite a pleasant surprise,

Fireflies swarmed the area, not as majestic as she had remembered, but they were there… like candles lit in the moonlit dim. And she stepped back in wonder, blinking just in case it was one of her many mild hallucinations:

A single Sakura tree, alive and abundant with pink blossoms, illuminated and bathed in the eerie glow of the moonlight.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Shippo-chan?" a faint voice said, and Kagome halted her tracks, peeking from behind the tree, looking for the source of the solemn voice. There was a girl within a white kimono, looking about the age of fifteen to sixteen, leaning on the slender trunk.

"Although I can't make all the cherry trees bloom and summon more golden spirits like Papa can, it's still beautiful." The longing in the girl's voice sent a curious feeling in Kagome's chest, and she held her breath, "I could see why mama loved this so much."

"It is beautiful," answered a male voice, and Kagome stepped closer, ever so carefully, trying not to stir anything around her, curious at the girl's other companion.

"I wonder what she looks like now, in the prime of her youth." the girl said, a profound loneliness echoing in her voice, penetrating into the walls of Kagome's soul. "She must have grown to be very beautiful,"

"You're beautiful," her companion answered, "So she must be."

The girl laughed so softly, reminding Kagome of her own, "Jaken said I look more like Papa, though. I bet she's so beautiful that no one in higher Hazakura compares," she brought her chin up, hopeful. "I want to see her again," her voice suddenly trembled, "Shippo-chan, I want to see her again,"

And the girl hung her head down and cried.

She cried, her soft sobs lingering heavier than it should in the air, and the little pink blossoms rustled and fell on her form, the little golden fireflies swarmed to her comfort.

"Little Mistress," her invisible companion said,

And the girl merely shifted. To Kagome's confusion, there was something leaning on her shoulder, and the blue-eyed woman squinted from the dim.

A strangely familiar fox-plush, sitting beside the girl, quietly offering its presence in her sorrow.

And the sudden recognition made her draw back sharply-

It was the fox-plush that she lost so many years ago in her childhood,

She knew it was by that one little tear in its red ears.

Dead twigs snapped from her sudden movement, and Kagome reeled back. But it was too late, she had caught the stranger's attention. They sharply turned,

The girl and the fox-plush,

And they found themselves staring at each other for long moments.

The large toy was literally breathing, its nose twitching from tension. But oddly, that was not what bothered Kagome.

It was the girl in the white kimono.

She had ebony black hair just like hers, a small, beautiful face, but her eyes were golden…

Such a familiar shade of gold that made Kagome's heart feel something curious,

And as her golden eyes looked back at her, wide and vulnerable and utterly shocked, she noticed tears starting to fall in torrents on the girl's cheeks.

Kagome stepped forward in a strange reflex,

"It's you," the girl suddenly whispered, as the tears unashamedly spilled from her eyes, "Kami, it's you…"

The girl stood up. "I can't believe this… I just can't…" She shook her head in despair, wiping her tears that were obscuring her vision, and her gaze settled back on the blue-eyed woman in front of her, "This can't be," she sobbed, her body trembling, her cries of confusion touching a part so deep in Kagome's soul, "For so many years I've dreamed of this…"

The fox-plush padded beside the girl, nuzzling his head against her leg in comfort, "Little Mistress,"

The girl's eyes snapped to Kagome, and their gazes locked. She was still crying, her hands clenched in a longing restraint, her tears streaking unceasingly and unchecked,

"It's me, don't you recognize me?" she strode forward, but Kagome backed away. And a cloud of absolute heartbreak shrouded the girl's eyes, as it was slowly being swallowed by a hopeless desperation,

"Mama, it's me, your daughter…

your dearest little Rin…"

Kagome stepped back, breathless.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Beyond the Wisteria Curtain**_

 _Chapter 4_

* * *

" Mama," she said, "I knew you would come back,"

The blue-eyed woman stepped back, eyes opened wide in fear. The girl in white kimono stepped forward and reached out to her,

"When I saw the wisteria growing I just knew it…" she said, daring a smile on her beautiful little face. And the tips of her fingers touched the hem of Kagome's Miko robes. But the woman pulled away.

"I'm sorry…" Kagome answered, "I don't think I know you,"

The fox plush padded forward, gently biting at the golden-eyed girl's kimono. "Rin," he said, tugging softly.

"Let me go…" she pulled away, but the fox tugged at her stronger. "Let me GO!" the girl screamed, making the woman jump. The girl was absolutely shaking, oh so familiar golden eyes fixed on her, wide and vulnerable and _pleading,_ "You can't forget, how could you forget!" The tears that had started had never stopped, "You took a seed from the same Sakura tree where Papa came from, you planted it with him in the fertile earth…. you both made a wish during the Night of the Twelve Moons…

Mama, please remember me!"

It was heartbreaking when the girl fell to her knees and hugged Kagome's legs, prostrating, begging. But the blue-eyed woman could only stare in disbelief,

"You didn't expect the Kamis to grant such a preposterous wish, but you still sang me lullabies. I was listening, I was growing under the hallowed dirt," she cried out in between her heartbreak, "You even gave me Shippo-chan,

It's me, mama, your little sakura seed,

all grown up just like you!"

Strong fires from Kagome's repressed memories painfully erupted, and it refused to be put out.

" _A child?" She laughed, "A child, littler than us? That sounds fun! We'll take care of her, and feed her, and dress her up in pretty clothes,"_

" _We'll love her forever," the boy with golden eyes said,_

" _Forever?" she echoed, watching the heavy shower of Sakura blossoms fall on the mirror-like lake,_

" _Yes… because if we have a littler inu, you'll stay with me forever, won't you?" he said, hiding his face in bashfulness, just as he always did whenever he mentioned things such as forever and eternity and evermore._

" _My silly little puppy," the girl smiled, "Even if we don't have a little sakura inu, I'll be with you forever…"_

"Stay away from me," Kagome whispered, "You're not real… stay away from me!" The blue-eyed woman fell into a spiral of panic.

Rejected and utterly heartbroken, Rin shook her head in denial. She crawled towards Kagome to reach out to the ends of her Miko robes.

But Kagome kicked the girl's hands away.

The girl collapsed on the grass, and Kagome stared in horror, upon seeing the big gash on the girl's arm. She had cut her with her geta.

"I never lost hope, even if Papa told me to stop waiting for you and move on." Rin now whispered, cradling her injured arm, whimpering in between quiet sobs,

"I know, deep inside he misses you too…

I can see it, whenever he looks towards the direction of the Wisteria Well."

Kagome held her hands on the sides of her head, in a desperate attempt to try and control her dwindling sanity, "This is not real…" she shut her eyes tight, so tight it was painful, "No, you're not real, you're not real!" Kagome turned and fled, away from the girl and the fox-plush, away from the lone Sakura tree and the river bathed with the golden light of the fireflies.

She tore into the old house, never looking back.

She bolted straight to her room, shutting the door behind her so strong the wooden walls seemed to shake from the quiet of the night. She opened her suitcases, tossing her organized clothes haphazardly to the floor, frantically searching for that one thing she never thought she would have used ever again. And her trembling hands found it, that little vial especially prescribed to her to calm her down.

 _It's been so long…_

She opened a sealed IM syringe. And she took a vial of sterile water and started reconstituting, trying so hard to focus. She drew in air before injecting into the vial, and plunged the needle into the rubber stopper.

Kagome flipped the bottle upside-down, and she watched in detached fascination as the liquid started filling up her syringe.

She pulled the needle out, and she sucked in a hesitant breath.

For quite a while the psychiatrist-professor had been administering meds to her patients, she had forgotten the feeling of being on the other end.

With one hand she squeezed her deltoid and plunged the needle in her muscle. And as the medicine came rushing into her system, all of the pain: from the bullying, her mother's heartbroken pleas, the faces of the many doctors checking on her every week…

Everything came rushing back to her.

And the woman with blue eyes hid in the dark of her room, crying in the corner, huddled to herself, waiting for her frantic heart to calm down,

Waiting for herself to shut down.

"This was a bad decision after all," she whispered, as her speech began to slur and her hands began to lose strength, "Mama, I'm sorry… I thought I was stronger."

Her eyes fluttered upward, her breathing finally calmed. And her muscles and shoulders relaxed, the empty syringe and the small bottle of the antipsychoticrolling from her hands to the wooden floor.

"It's all in your head…

Kagome, it's not real…"

She finally fell into the comforting coma of nothingness.

* * *

"You sure you're not staying?" Her little brother who was not so little anymore towered before her, casting a shadow on her petite self.

"I have to leave," the blue-eyed woman answered, pulling the sleeve of her shirt down, fearful that he might see the little injection mark from last night. She smiled up at him and reached out, tapping his cheek. "You were a good host," she assured, "Visit me some time."

"Hmmph." He said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Another Akitoki, taking you away from the household. I swear that name must be cursed,"

Kagome laughed softly, "Quiet or he'll hear,"

"Hear about what?" A newcomer's voice chimed in, and the siblings turned to the source. The brown-haired doctor bowed lightly and entered, leaning down and giving Kagome a quick peck on the forehead.

Souta frowned. "Hey now,"

"Look at you, acting like an old father," Hojo smirked, leaning down to sneak a kiss on Kagome's blushing cheeks when a hand grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away.

"And look at you, acting like an entitled suitor." The police captain walked up to the doctor, boldly sizing him up. Unfortunately for the brown-haired city gentleman, the little brother had a more intimidating build than him. "I'm the master of the household now. My house, my rules. No touching my sister—"

"Souta-chan," Kagome pulled him away. "What's gotten into you, bonehead?!" She walked up to Hojo with her bags in tow. "Let's go," she said, taking Hojo's arm, pulling him with her. She turned, and with one last glare to the little brother that was not so little anymore, she gave him a smile.

"Bye, Souta-chan! I'll call you when we get to the city!"

They made their way out of the household, stepping out of the bright, cloudless day. The ribbon on her hair fluttered, the loose ends of her Miko robes swayed with the wind. She brought her gaze up to the sparkling little patches of sunlight from the canopy of the towering magnolia trees.

It was covered in moss and lichen, proving yet again how the passage of time changes things, yet really don't at all.

Before her, the Sakura trees were barren, as it always had been, ever since she left.

And the wind was quietly whispering, a message from her wild imaginations.

" _Don't leave,"_

She turned beside her. Sitting on her steps was the fat cat that frequently sprawled their grounds. It lounged lazily under the sun, its silver whiskers twitching.

" _You didn't even get to give me a belly rub. Now you take off, just like that?"_

With an aching heart, Kagome looked away.

" _Little traveler, don't leave."_

The blue-eyed woman shook her head and brushed past the fat cat. And it vaguely disappeared, like a mirage under the heat.

The pair descended the stone steps. As they reached halfway, they came across a familiar figure: beautiful young Souten, carrying a bundle on her hands.

"Ohayo," the shopkeeper bowed, blushing.

The pair stopped, and Kagome smiled. "Here to visit my monster of a brother?" she eyed at the two bento boxes on the girl's hands. Souten merely fidgeted in embarrassment, still not recovering from her bow, still refusing to look at her directly in the eye.

"H-hai." The girl answered, very timidly.

Kagome laughed, reaching out and patted at the girl's shoulder. "Please, you don't have to be so formal," And the blue-eyed woman pulled back. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.

Souten rubbed the part where Kagome touched, trying to tame the goosebumps that had so obviously risen on her skin. "Gomen nasai, it's just that… Kagome-hime is," she started with a heavy blush, "Different… her energy is different,"

And Souten, for the first time brought her gaze up, locking with hers, "Her energy… has always been… unlike any other."

Kagome stiffened. And she remained that way, unable to be reeled back from a sudden trance she had somehow plunged into.

"Gome-chan," Hojo's voice roused her back to consciousness, and the woman with blue eyes took a sharp intake of breath, bringing herself back to the present. "You okay?" His gentle hand lay on the curve of her back.

"Y-yes," she managed, her eyes darting to the young shopkeeper. "Souten, we have to get going."

The girl bowed down, "Of course, Kagome- _hime."_

* * *

"Who was that?" The young doctor inquired, slightly glancing at Kagome who was on the passenger seat. She had her head leaning on the car's window, her sidelong gaze on the blur of the towering magnolia trees. She had donned herMikoo robes again, he had to remind himself to tell her how she looked good in it.

But not right now, when both of them were confined in such a small space. He probably couldn't take the embarrassment, plus she would think of him as a creep.

"Little Souten," she answered, "A family friend."

Hojo chuckled. "She's weird."

Silence drifted between them. The brown-haired doctor repressed a blush, realizing what he just said. "Sorry, I didn't mean it in a demeaning way-"

"It's okay," Kagome said, her gaze still fixated on the window. "She's been that way since childhood."

 _Just like me._

"Their family were the original owners of the Shrine. They come from a long lineage of Mikos and Shrine Priests… it's no wonder she would be talking about energies and karma."

 _ **Souten rubbed the part where Kagome touched, trying to tame the goosebumps that had so obviously risen on her skin. "Gomen nasai, it's just that… Kagome-hime is," she started with a heavy blush, "Different… her energy is different,"**_

 _ **And Souten, for the first time brought her gaze up, locking with hers, "Her energy… has always been… unlike any other."**_

An energy unlike any other,

The blue-eyed woman thought.

 _She had first stumbled into this world… maybe when she was four years old? She tried to tell her mom about it. And her mom only laughed, just like how the adults would laugh when she told them about the little spirits in the Tailor shop, the station master in the terminal, the fat cat that frequented their house._

 _And being here in this new world, she would never dare to step out of the Wisteria curtain… not until now. It was her sixth birthday anyway… she was old enough, right? She had to explore._

 _But she was starting to regret her decision: something was already tailing her around._

" _Who are you?" The white inu said._

" _Kagome," she answered, swatting an itch that had been nagging on her leg. "How about you, what's your name?" She was trying to find her way back to the Wisteria Curtain. It was getting dark and she was getting cold. She was riddled with cuts and bruises, her clothes were hopelessly soaked from the ordeal earlier._

 _She was exhausted._

 _And the two little branches that popped up on her head whenever she came to this world started to ache. She reached up and started massaging it._

" _Tsk," He answered, his golden eyes absolutely piercing, "Why did you save me?"_

" _Because you needed help." She stopped and turned to him, annoyed. He was huge, as huge as the trees around them, he could easily trample her if he wanted to. But she somehow knew he was still a puppy… and a stubborn one at that. "Why are you following me?"_

" _I'm trying to figure you out," he said, his fur still drenched and dripping from the premature soak._

 _Then a sudden guilt trickled in her for snapping at him, she realized that he was too weak to shake the water off._

" _Your energy…" He continued, "It's unlike any other."_

"They said hi, by the way." Hojo suddenly said, making a sharp turn into a corner.

They passed by the train station… and from their quick pass, Kagome saw the outline of the station master, calmly sipping his tea under the abandoned arch canopy, sitting on the rickety bench.

She closed her eyes, releasing a cleansing breath. "Who?"

"Our classmates from middle school. Ayumi is married now. So is Eri, Yuka is engaged to Hitomi,"

"Oh," Kagome said, fisting her hakama. "Good for them." The blue-eyed woman bit her lip, and then, "They didn't say hi, did they?"

"Kagome-chan,"

A bitter smile fluttered on her lips. "I'm a psychiatrist, Hojo. And even if I weren't, anyone would know that people don't just casually say _hi_ to the ones they bullied to tears in childhood." Her tone gradually trailed softer. "Let me tell you what probably happened. They were telling you how surprised they were… that someone… as errant as me, became a clinical psychiatrist."

Keeping one hand on the driving wheel, the brown-haired doctor reached out and enclosed his hand over Kagome's. "Well yeah. It kinda went that way. But other than the one mention of you, our conversation was mostly civil, mostly about them.

You, on the other hand, make it sound so… hostile."

Kagome softly laughed, "Sorry."

He released his hand and gave her a quick sidelong glance, smirking her way. "Don't be. You've been apologizing for yourself for so long." His smirk turned soft, and shyly, he reached out and brushed the back of his fingers on her cheek.

They both exploded into fire tree red, as he withdrew his hand and pretended to focus on the road before them, and she preoccupied herself with the view outside. She cleared her throat.

"Thank you, though… for standing by me. Even when I was… weird."

"It's nothing. And father had it ingrained in me… to take care of you. In his words, 'never leave her out of your sight.'' He softly laughed. "Of course I couldn't literally do that,"

Kagome watched in humor as he started to fluster yet again, like an overwhelmed little kid.

"But I could," He continued, "You know, take care of you… that is… if you would only say yes."

There it was again, that awkward silence. The woman blushed, biting the corner of her lip. She wanted to try. Maybe it would work out? She had known him all her life. She knew his intentions were genuine.

But the woman with blue eyes could never bring herself to say yes. "I'll… think about it."

It was as if something had been holding her back, and still holding her back.

Hojo shifted from his seat. "Father would have been so proud of you." He suddenly said.

She ran her hands on the smooth cloth of her miko robes, momentarily distancing herself. Her father figure, Doctor Akitoki, had passed away last year to complications of Alzheimer's. The renowned psychologist's last days were a heartbreaking ordeal of incessant rambling, of paranoid crisis.

 _-"The Dragons... they are blighting me… those damn dragons!"-_

 _-"Harbingers of destruction," he ranted, pacing back and forth, "What had the Kamis seen in them to make them be given such a position?!"-_

His last words were to her, and not to Hojo.

 _-"Stay away from the water serpent. She is a deceitful creature," He rambled, delirious, "She is in corroboration with the dragon," he clung to her, his mad eyes flashing in desperate warning, "Kagome, whatever happens, don't listen to the water serpent!"-_

The psychiatrist-professor had long wondered if the doctor had held some resentment against her. He was the real son, anyway, and she was only Dr. Akitoki's ward. But during Dr. Akitoki's mental spiral, he would only approach her, would only talk to her, never to his son or anyone else.

And although it was an endless tirade of warning against dragons and serpents and how manipulative and deceitful they were, Hojo would still attempt to approach him.

She had constantly reassured her childhood friend that it was probably _Transference_ the old doctor was displaying, because maybe, she reminded Hojo's father of his late daughter, the one they lost from suicide.

 _-"Never listen to the serpent,"-_

 _-"Don't go near the forbidden mountains,"-_

 _-"They should be trying to retrieve me! Why am I still here? Can't they see how much I sacrificed for Hazakura?!"-_

"Woah," Hojo suddenly said, slowing down the car, "Kagome-chan… look at the sky."

The blue-eyed woman pulled herself from her thoughts and drifted her gaze to the heavens. A heavy raincloud hovered over the entirety of the sky, covering the sleepy little town of Hazakura in an ominous veil of darkness. The sun, bright and warm, was obliterated.

"Looks like rain," Hojo brought his gaze back to the road, as little trickles fell on their windshield, soft, gentle patters,

Like little feet playing on the glass surface.

The woman secretly ran her hands in her loose sleeves, taming the goosebumps that were rising on her skin. She heard the audible clicks of the car's controls as her companion switched the wipers on.

"Looks like it," Kagome whispered, her eyes darkening, like the sky… slowly being eclipsed in a blanket of fog and cold wind. "But that's weird. Someone told me… that for sixteen years…it never rained."

Brown eyes met blue, and a sudden pain seared through Kagome's head. She lurched as a high, deafening pitch screamed at her ears.

"Gome-chan!" Hojo said, slamming the brakes. Was it not for their seatbelts on they would have catapulted themselves through the windshield. The downpour started to fall, drowning the silence with the strong pounding of the torrent on the metal car. "Gome-chan," he said, reaching out.

She looked up to him, blue eyes wide in fear. "Hojo-kun…" she managed, and the doctor drew back.

Her ears were bleeding.

Another earsplitting screech and Kagome recoiled to herself. Tears of confusion fell inevitably on the woman's cheeks, mixing with the blood on her hands as she tried to cover her ears. She then brought her gaze before her, squinting through the malicious darkness.

And she sat there, frozen in horror.

* * *

The Hazakura river flowed alongside the highway, it was one of the more scenic views whenever one left the sleepy little town. An idyllic drive, as nature enthusiasts had once said during its glory days. Ever since it stopped raining, sixteen years ago, the famous beauty had significantly faded. The river had grown shallow, the green foliage and wildflowers that lined the river withered away.

But now, because of the sudden abnormal downpour, the river had dangerously overflowed.

Water, glistening like silver mercury, creeping across the road like a living _entity_. And on the water, smack in the middle of the road, rising in Kagome's vision like the fog that was rising from the ground was a giant snake-like figure.

"This can't be real," she whispered in disbelief, and she shut her eyes tight. But even if she did, she could still see the image of the serpent,

 _Water Serpent,_ an innate voice whispered…

imprinted in her mind. It was so huge it blocked off the entire road. Off-white scales and the most piercing scarlet eyes, looking straight at her, only to her…

It opened its mouth and screeched.

The terrible noise stabbed through her ears yet again. And Kagome had conjured, between the excruciating, throbbing pain on her head, the drowning rumble of the pounding rain over the roof, and her confusion if the blood dripping from her ears were even real or not,

She realized in her bewildered mind that the screeching was more of a language barrier, because of their different frequencies in energy.

The Serpent was _crying out to her._

She opened her eyes yet again, wishing that when she did, the very real hallucination would resolve. But the serpent was still there.

She cried in disbelief. Burying her face in the palm of her hands she sobbed.

Maybe this time, she really was going crazy to the point of no return.

"Holy shit," Hojo exclaimed from beside her, "In the name of all the Kamis… what the hell is THAT?!" His hands reached to the gears and pulled reverse. They spun towards the opposite direction, "Gome-chan, hang in there," Hojo said, as he brought the gear to drive and he definitively slammed his foot on the gas.

They sped off, but the giant serpent disappeared in a blur of white. And it slithered past them, past the car that had accelerated at 80mph-

Another flash of white blinded the frightened pair, and they found themselves literally inches before the giant white serpent.

Hojo slammed on the brakes.

The sudden stop skidded the car, and it hydroplaned, flipping the vehicle upside down. It flew off the road, and Kagome found her world spinning around her.

They landed on the river, and to the woman's horror, it started sinking.

With them inside.

She released her seatbelt, the water rushing into the cracked windows. She looked beside her, her companion was unconscious and bleeding from the shattered glass. A subtle creaking noise filled the car…the pressure was intensifying, as they sank deeper into the river.

And suddenly, glass, from all directions, gave way and exploded.

The water instantly spilled inside. Kagome held her breath, reaching out to unbuckle Hojo from his seatbelt. Now underwater she pulled him into her arms, dragging them out of the now windshield-less car, swimming up and battling the strong current of the rushing river.

It was a miracle that they were not swept away.

She almost felt as if maneuvering through the water was nothing, as the large river debris around her tore beside them, a large branch even hitting her on the side of her stomach. For a moment her vision blacked out, but she steeled her resolve.

Keeping her companion in her arms she swam _against_ the current.

And it took no effort on her part.

Maybe because she always had been a good swimmer, she could hold her breath longer than the others. Or maybe it was the rush of fight-or-flight adrenaline. Whatever it was she was thankful it was there, as she brought them both to the safety of the shore.

She lay her childhood friend on the sloshing grass, the downpour was unforgiving. "Hojo-kun," she shook his unconscious form, "Hojo-kun!" When it was apparent that he was not waking up, Kagome felt his pulse. It was there, but it was thready.

She clasped her hands together and started doing compressions.

Kagome did not mind the blood from her ears, or from her side. She did not mind her throbbing head, or her confusion and utter disbelief. How could things have escalated into this crazy mess?

But halfway through the first compression cycle, Hojo stirred and shifted.

Quickly she lay him on his side, and he coughed out copious amounts of water. The blue-eyed woman pulled away.

"What… in the seven hells…" he murmured in his somnolence, and he fell back to sleep. But he was breathing, and his pulse was all normal now.

Kagome let out an exhausted breath. Dumbfounded, disoriented. She looked around, hoping to flag for any help.

But her eyes fell on the large figure that was looming before her,

Always before her.

She started crying, her sanity in absolute turmoil.

The giant serpent was there… watching.

"Why is this happening to me…" her teeth grit in pure agony, pulling at her soaked hair, "Why… why!" She screamed, and she made a fist and hit herself, trying to knock some sense into her crazy head.

Crazy…

No denying… she was going nuts.

The White Serpent gave out another earsplitting screech- another cry- and Kagome restrained herself from what she was doing as she brought her exhausted gaze up, towards the towering monster.

The downpour was merciless on her battered body. The silver water that had been holding the serpent slowly crept towards her, the thick, unnatural liquid pooling around.

And she watched, forcing her eyes open, as the water serpent lunged.

Everything else faded into nothingness.

* * *

She gasped for living breath.

And she realized as she opened her eyes, that the downpour had stopped. All was quiet and still...

Was it all a dream?

She sat up, finding her Miko robes dry. But she was in a dark place, a _safe_ place… she had been here before.

The Wisteria Tunnel.

She reached out, feeling the comforting vines reach back, meeting her hands halfway. "This can't be real," Kagome whispered in quiet hopelessness, silent tears streaking down her cheeks. "This can't be real…"

She cast her head down and cried.

Years and years of psychotherapy and medications… all for nothing. She had fallen back into the dark abyss of her own mind.

With heartbroken gasps and shaking hands she reached for the sides of her head, there it was, the two _protrusions_ … it had grown significantly since her last awareness of it. Before, it resembled little stubs…

Now it caught through the vines, tangling the wisteria blossoms that were hanging from the ceiling of the tunnel.

Kagome fisted her hair, trying to calm herself down. She was already stuck in the morbid prison of her imaginations, she knew she needed to get out.

Gathering her trembling self she stood up and started walking towards the only direction possible: the end of the tunnel, to the light veiled by the Wisteria Curtain.

The vines curled away, the flowers parted as she walked… allowing her to pass without any tangling, without any tumbling. And she finally reached the end, the light was not as bright behind the curtain as she last remembered.

She reached out and parted the curtain, and she held her breath.

No wonder.

It was night, in the strange yet familiar place…

And she grabbed at the stone lip, realizing that she was not walking horizontally anymore- oddly, she was coming out not from a tunnel but a deep _well…_ Kagome hauled herself up, and out of the wisteria-filled structure.

She brought her gaze up, and tears of confusion ran unchecked yet again.

Not one, nor two… but twelve moons, hovering over the boundless stretch of the night sky. It was scattered on the heavens, like giant sentinels surrounded by the stars that were as abundant as the dirt on the ground.

Before her was a vast, mirror-like lake,

and on the other side, a Sakura Forest unlike any other.

Far richer and denser than the beautiful Hazakura of sixteen years ago, the woodland was something beyond compare. Illuminated by the twelve moons above, it drank all the light around, sending an innate, captivating glow in the bottom of the eerie night.

A soft breeze blew her way, resulting in a blizzard of petals, rippling the surface as it fell on the seemingly tranquil and unfathomably deep lake.

Something caught her eye. Movement, which snapped her instincts to hide. She rushed behind the well and cautiously peeked around.

By the Sakura Forest,

On the other end of the shore,

Stood a tall figure clad in white and red kimono.

A curious feeling trickled in the blue-eyed woman's heart.

She did not know him, but he seemed so familiar… his silver hair glistened ethereally under the moonlight. And a gentle whisper of the magical wind summoned another breathtaking pink shower.

He stood, as calm and tranquil as the mirror-like lake,

And he turned to her direction, towards the wisteria well.

Painfully golden eyes… Kagome's heart ached like never before. Before their gazes could meet, she hid behind the comfort of the stone well, her heart beating wildly.

Memories of a little boy with white hair and golden eyes fleeted through her mind. "Please, no more…" she cried out, tortured by her crippling _insanity._ "This is not real… no more…"

Kagome slowly gathered herself yet again and peeked from behind the well. And the exhausted woman was literally swept away:

The silver-haired man had turned into a giant, majestic white _Inu,_ way bigger than the Inu in her twisted memories from sixteen years ago.

It turned away from the well, bringing its gaze westbound. With great strides it started to run, kicking up a storm of Sakura flowers behind him, and it took off into the curious night sky.

Everything was still.

* * *

When she was deathly sure that no one, or at least nothing else was in her presence, Kagome emerged from her hiding place. She stalked towards the edge of the lake,

And she stared at her reflection.

Her hair had grown longer. Her eyes were a deeper shade… and the protrusions on her head were not the little stubby branches she remembered.

To anyone who would have seen, it resembled _antlers_ …

Velvet-lined antlers of an older deer.

Kagome's breath shook in sheer dismay. "Mama… I'm sorry…

I thought I had it all under control."

She sank on the grass and silently cried.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N:_** Standard disclaimer applies

* * *

 ** _Beyond the Wisteria Curtain_**

 _Chapter 5_

* * *

He landed softly on the cherry-blossom lined earth, careful not to disturb the slumbering spirits that had been laid to rest. This place, the Sakura forest, was where his seed was taken, and this will be his final resting place when his time would finally come.

He swept his golden gaze to the lake beyond. Quiet, unperturbed, and only when the falling blossoms would touch the surface it would create a whisper of movement… rippling through the mirror-like waters, insidious of what laid in the depths.

It was said that underneath the waters was sure demise. It was yoma-infested, swarming with monsters from time beyond remembrance, surrounded by nothing but pitch-black darkness. Anyone who dared to cross that lake was bound to never return.

A fitting sentinel, because beyond the lake was an abandoned well-house… an ancient gateway to another realm.

A realm where spirits fade into the dull background of routine life, a realm with one moon that only appeared at night, where children oddly grew in the bellies of women instead of sprouting from the fertile earth.

To the spirits of Higher Hazakura, the idea of such a gateway was preposterous. A gateway to the forbidden world, right through an empty well?

Then again, anyone who dared cross the yoma-infested waters never came back to tell the tale.

But he knew it to be true, because he had been there,

to the realm that was beyond the wisteria curtain.

 _-Sixteen years ago,_

 _Higher Hazakura-_

 _He stared in awe as the rain of golden lights finally started. He knew it was inevitable. Whenever the pink blossoms would start falling heavily from his sakura tree, and the twelve moons in the heavens would align, the sky would turn a rare hue:_

 _Half was tinged with rich gold, the upper half was painted with royal blue._

 _Stars were scattered everywhere, each light filling what gaps it could fill, and when the twilight sky seemed that it could hold no more, the rain of golden stars would happen._

 _It was absolutely breathtaking._

 _He watched the shower of stars above him across the vast endless sky, his heart swelled with overwhelming happiness._

 _Moments like these, where he was alone, were rare._

 _He drank the scent of the evening breeze that filled his lungs, he marveled at the tickle of the snow of pink blossoms that fell from the sheltering sakura tree. Never taking his eyes away from the shower of stars overhead, from the half-hued curtain of the sky, he realized, as much as he loved to whine and complain about his life,_

 _He was quite content with its mundane routine._

 _His destiny was already written for him, word by word, and everyone he knew had done their job, as they were told to do._

 _Ever since his father passed away from the curse of killing that wretched dragon, every person he met…they did their job. And that was all he probably was, he thought. A mere job, a responsibility._

 _He was to inherit control over the Weather Tower, after all, and as early as now, everyone wanted to be in the good graces of the future Weather God._

 _The little boy with golden eyes drifted his gaze to the mirror-like lake before him. He tried to steer himself away from a curious feeling that would start to rise, every time he would think of his father._

 _Slowly, his eyes were getting heavy. It was alright for him to drift to the realm of dreams, just for a little bit, right? Jaken was away, the old men of the castle would usually drink themselves to a stupor during the night of the Twelve Moons._

 _So no one would suspect his disappearance._

 _Only for tonight, he wanted to be alone._

 _Alone to himself… because even though he was surrounded by so many people throughout the day and even the night, it was, he would admit, kind of lonely._

 _Yes, who was he fooling?_

 _It was lonely._

 _He stared at the shower of stars above him._

 _This beautiful world of eternal spring… it was quite lonely._

* * *

 _The harsh rays of the morning sun forced his eyes open. He shifted to rouse, and what greeted his vision was nothing more than the usual._

 _A beautiful forest of pink cherry blossoms, beyond was a vast, cloudless sky._

 _The young entity tried to blink the abnormal brightness away, the sun's reflection on the mirror-like lake sparkling a blinding gold. Something caught his eye, and his heart immediately quickened. The little boy sprang up and dashed behind the protective trunk of one of the cherry trees, and he slowly peeked._

 _There was something standing outside the well house, beyond the forbidden lake._

 _He tried to sniff around as the wind brought in its scent, and he found that he had not quite encountered this before. His curiosity piqued, (he was still a puppy, after all,) the little boy stepped out of his fortress._

 _And it was an eerie sight, because across the lake, the strange thing was mirroring his actions: it stepped out of its hiding place, with eyes equally wide and wary, walked to the edge of the water, and stopped._

 _They stared at each other for quite a long time._

 _She was a little girl in the oddest of clothing, with ribbons on her black hair and eyes as blue as the cloudless sky. She was studying him with equal interest. She smelled like earth- a mortal from the other realm. But she had two branch-like protrusions on her head…a deer youkai?- but the wind blew his way again… and the smell of earth dissipated, and suddenly, she smelled so strongly of unfamiliar magic._

 _Old magic… like the traces that were left behind arcane scrolls in his castle's dusty library._

 _The little boy backed away, alarmed._

 _He would have fled in fear, but the girl stepped forward, tactlessly dipping her feet in the tranquil waters._

 _What the little boy did next was to act through reflex._

 _He needed to defend his sacred grounds from this… outsider._

 _He stepped forward himself, into the mirror-like lake. But the moment his feet touched the waters, the lake stirred, and something emerged—_

 _Something coming only from the depths of abysmal darkness, and it pulled him into the clear surface._

 _The little boy found himself plunging into a pitch-black void._

* * *

 _They were grabbing at his limbs, tearing at his skin._

 _What added to all the horror was that he could not see, there was only darkness. But he could feel the sharp teeth and claws sinking into his flesh, could hear the deep growls and gurgling noises from around him._

 _The little boy transformed into his full inu form, but it did not help any but to attract more monsters. He could feel more malevolent yoma through his advanced senses, hovering close by, waiting for their turn for the feed._

 _He was pulled deeper into the abyss, he gasped for dear air but he choked violently._

 _The little boy was drowning._

 _He tried to reach for something, anything. He could feel his bones being crushed, his limbs pulled apart._

 _The yoma of the forbidden lake were feasting on him._

 _He let out a wordless scream._

 _Just when he thought he could take no more, a brilliant burst of white exploded throughout the void._

 _He opened his eyes…_

 _There was a vague flash of white scales and blue, flowing mane, in the midst of the blinding darkness. The gigantic entity wound closer, a colossal behemoth whose presence was far bigger than the leviathans that feasted on his flesh._

 _And the feeling of the old, ancient magic wrapped him in a sheltering embrace._

* * *

 _The soft fall of the cherry blossoms on his face roused him to consciousness. The wind was warm and gentle, carefully making its way through so as not to disturb his rest. This alone was odd, because the wind had never considered his comfort before, as stubborn as it already was. The ground shifted from underneath him, or it seemed to shift, that was what he thought._

 _His body felt light, his spirit felt… different._

 _He opened his eyes, trying to focus his regaining vision._

 _It was high noon in the eternally spring realm of Higher Hazakura. The same blooming cherry blossoms, the same twelve moons fixed on the blinding bright sky. But somehow, in between the unusual docile temperament of the wind, the rustle of the leaves as the memories of ancient Sakura Inus resonate through the forest,_

 _Something felt different… and he couldn't tell what._

" _You're awake," an unfamiliar voice said._

 _The boy's golden gaze lazily shifted up. He realized that he was cradled in the lap of the strange little girl._

 _He would have scrambled away. He would have bared his fangs at her. How dare she, a stranger, an outsider… touch the future Weather God!_

 _But instead of establishing his dominance, his heart calmed, his spirit stirred. And much to his disbelief, the loneliness that haunted him since his father passed away was gone._

 _It was gone, like the ripples on the mirror-like lake when it had settled into tranquility._

 _The little boy reached out, intending to touch her face. But the girl reached back, meeting his unexplained yearning with a soft smile._

" _You look alright to me," she said as she laced her fingers on his, "I'm happy."_

 _The little boy would have closed his eyes. The warmth that filled him when they touched was breathtaking, he felt as if he were drowning yet again, plunging into an abyss of the unknown._

" _It's a good thing I listened to the sakura trees," she suddenly said, and she lifted her gaze to the dimming heavens. "Thank you," she said to nobody in particular, and she smiled amidst the shower of petals that were falling on them. The little girl then brought her gaze back to him, and she laughed at his confused expression. "We were a mess when I brought you to the surface… I was crying in panic. You were dying, little puppy. But the voices from the Sakura Trees, they told me what to do."_

 _A rustle of the wind gently sifted through her hair. The little boy blinked, trying to fight the heaviness of his lids. He was unusually drowsy… why was he so drowsy? He tried to fight it, though. The girl was still talking, and somehow, he felt the need to listen._

 _And so she spoke as little blooms of Sakura fell on her hair, it was quite a beautiful sight, the puppy thought… the pink flecks on her dark tresses, as she tightened her hold on his hand._

" _They said that I had to give my energy to you._

 _I didn't know what they were talking about... so they told me to wish. Wish real hard, and so I did. Well, I think I did, somehow, because you're alright."_

 _Golden eyes widened._

 _The exchange of energy, as far as he knew, was done in one and only one instance in higher Hazakura._

 _Only between lovers, when they exchanged eternal vows._

 _But for that to happen, they had to be of the right age, and the right level of spiritual energy._

 _They were still too young for the Kamis to have permitted it. But it happened anyway. Somehow it happened, through the counsel of the sacred Sakura trees. The girl gave her energy to him, but without anything in return._

 _How was it possible?_

 _Now her energy was running in his channels, but the girl, she still lives through her own. He was bound to her, but there was nothing of him in her… not even an indication of his nature, except for the pink petals on her hair._

 _But even that was slowly sifted away by the unusually gentle wind._

 _The little puppy felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. He tried to lift his hands to keep the blossoms from drifting away from her, but he was too weak. The loneliness caught on his throat, and he let out a little whimper of despair._

 _The girl sensed his distress, leaned her head on his, and the warmth of the old magic washed over his yet recovering spiritual wounds, calming… soothing. "You need to sleep a bit more, little puppy." She said, stroking his hair. "Maybe a little bit more."_

 _His eyes were growing very heavy. The boy reached out and held her wrist, but she caught his hand yet again, and their fingers interlaced, locked on each other._

 _Something in the little puppy stirred yet again. Something bigger than him, an entity inside him he couldn't comprehend._

" _I think I can stay a little bit longer, mama won't be home until tonight," she whispered. The girl with little antlers on her head dipped down and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "Sleep for now, beautiful puppy. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."_

* * *

 _When he roused he was laying on the cold earth, and not on the comfort of the girl's lap. He frowned in annoyance, scandalized at her audacity… and so he lifted his gaze up, searching for her familiar figure._

 _He found her, she was standing by the oldest Sakura Tree, looking up at the darkening sky._

" _Finally," she smiled, tucking her hair that splayed over her face, "Little puppy, I kept my promise. Now it's getting dark, mama will be home pretty soon."_

 _He stood up on all fours. He had regressed into his Inu form, as he was too weak to sustain a higher level of anima. He padded towards the girl, (careful not to knock her over as she was too small for his Inu form,) and opened his jaw. He tugged at her ripped sleeve. Her clothes were still damp from the plunge, torn and shredded from when she dove after him in the forbidden lake._

 _The girl laughed softly. "I can't stay, I have to go home." She reached out and he met her warm hand eagerly, dipping his head down for her to stroke his muzzle. "Do you know the way back to the well? Can you help me get back?" she pulled away, straightening her clothes._

 _The golden-eyed Inu stood still. Flashes of white scales and blue flowing mane filled his blurry memory, and he looked at her- that insignificant little girl who smelled a little like earth and more of old magic—_

 _and he sat on the grass, making sure he thumped his bottom as he did._

" _You mean you won't help me?" she exclaimed in disbelief._

 _The little puppy, (who was actually not quite little, he was almost as large as the towering Sakura Trees,) haughtily tilted his chin up and looked away._

 _The girl pursed her lips and made a "Hmmph" sound. She stomped her feet and turned away, muttering about spoiled little dogs and how they needed to be nipped by their mommies._

 _She was quite distressed, as one could tell from the frown lines on her little face, as she tried to find her way through the forest._

 _The puppy quietly followed as she made her way through the woods, not really speaking, never even guiding. They walked for quite a while until the sun had set, and it became dark again, and the twelve moons on the sky of Higher Hazakura were aligned._

 _They found themselves back on the edge of the mirror-like lake, reflecting the millions of stars from peeking from the high heavens._

 _She knelt at the edge of the large body of water, and she dipped her hand into the lake of stars._

 _The wind was quiet and gentle as it stirred, a small ripple appeared in the middle of the vast lake. The ripple grew larger and larger… something emerged from the depths of the waters. It was a large dorsal ray, it looked like a fishing rod with a luminescent bulb at the tip._

 _The girl's eyes brightened in recognition, the submerged fishing-rod swam closer and closer._

 _It finally reached the edge. A large black fish, ten times the girl's size, surfaced from the murky depths. The rod, it turned out, was attached to the fish monster's large, misshapen head._

 _It stared at her balefully with its dead eyes._

" _Hello," the girl said as she smiled, "Did we meet earlier when I jumped into the lake?"_

 _The large ugly fish opened its huge, crescent-shaped mouth, baring rows and rows of fang-like teeth. It blared a deep, whale-like vocalization that bounced throughout the quiet of the dusk._

 _And the little girl laughed as she bowed down, "Well, pleased to meet you too. My name is Kagome, and this is my little puppy friend." She said as she motioned to the boy. "He never told me his name. He's quite shy, I assume, but one day he'll open up to me." She looked at the large inu who stood a few paces behind her, an innocent blush was on her cheeks._

 _The inu huffed yet again and looked away, his haughty nose high up in the air in regal arrogance._

 _The girl turned back to the fish, "Will you help me cross the lake? I need to get home to mama."_

 _The fish dipped into the water, barely submerging its back. The girl stood up. Without hesitation she hopped on the broad back of the large monster, holding on to its lamp-like rod for support, and the fish backed away and started to slither, careful not to tip its precious cargo over._

" _Wait," a timid voice called out. It was the white Inu, he was scratching his paws on the ground, looking down and away in bashfulness._

 _The large monster did not stop, it was the girl who turned to look back at his receding form. Her little face was quite pretty, it was illuminated by the soft, golden light of the rod._

" _Stay with me," he pleaded, "Don't leave."_

 _She smiled. "I'll come back to visit you, little puppy," she comforted, "I promise."_

 _He watched the fish take his little girl father and farther away from him until they reached the other end of the shore._

 _She did not wave a reassuring goodbye when she stepped into the well house. She did not turn back when she entered the mysterious wisteria curtain._

 _The little inu who was not quite so little realized that the overwhelming loneliness he felt, it had crept back into his heart in her absence._

 _He sank on the soft, sakura-blossom lined grass and cried._

 _He shall wait, he promised himself._

 _And he would not be distressed, because the next day the little girl kept her promise._

 _She came back. And she also came back the day after, and the day after that. And she came for many days after, and the more she did, the more he loved her,_

 _until he realized he could not let the little girl go._

He roused from his lonely musings, awakening into consciousness as if he had just come from a deep slumber. He turned to the direction of the old abandoned well, towards the wisteria curtain that had grown quite the foliage in the years that had passed…

The golden-eyed Inu thought he saw the outline of a little girl, one with branch-like protrusions on her head, standing by the well-house, eagerly waving at him, just like how she always did whenever she would return.

Then his heart ached, and he had to look away.

After all the years of waiting, he knew there was no such girl waving at him on the other side anymore.

She had stopped coming back one day,

Even after he risked their little Rin's young life and crossed to the other side of the well, even after he begged on his knees, before her open door for one last chance to see her again.

He brought his gaze back to the massive islands that were floating in the sky, to where his castle was. The golden-eyed man transformed into his full Inu form, and with a quick stride on the Sakura-lined earth he headed back to his home,

Away from the feelings of painful longing,

Away from the memories of a little girl who promised to love him forever, but never came back.

* * *

The blue-eyed woman stood at the edge of the mirror-like waters, her heart drowning with a crushing nostalgia, her lungs filled with the comforting scent of Sakura blossoms in full bloom.

On the other side was an achingly familiar pink forest, and above her was a most unusual, but special night sky. Twelve moons, scattered on the heavens, and a million and one stars overflowed like a river of glistening fireflies, flickering in the dark.

Memories of a golden-eyed little boy standing at the other side of the lake filled her now settled thoughts. He would have been waiting for her return, always for her return, as he would run up to her with a frown on his face. _"What took you so long?_ " he would mumble,

" _Why_ ," She would answer with a smile, " _Did you miss me, little puppy?"_

And he would huff in vain and stick his chin up in a pretense that he did not care about her, but then he would always offer his hand for her to take, and all the time he would pull her close and keep her near.

The blue-eyed woman shook her head, refusing to be distracted by nonexistent memories. She brought her gaze back to the Sakura Forest.

There was no such boy waiting for her.

She stood and pondered for quite a long time… hesitant… unsure. She looked back at the forest once again.

Then the wind sighed wistfully.

The Sakura Trees rustled, and the ancient forest magically stirred to life.

" _She came back_ ," a distant voice whispered.

The Sakura hummed, bending and bowing and preening their pretty blossoms, and murmured in reply, " _The blue-eyed traveler_?"

" _Is that her?_ "

" _Is that really her?"_

" _Yes,_ _she came back,_ "

The wind settled from elation, the soft murmurs of the Sakura Trees finally died down.

Everything rested into silence, she was left waiting under the light of the twelve moons.

She stared at her reflection at the mirror-like lake, reaching out to her branch-like protrusions on her head. She closed her eyes. "Mama, I'll probably be stuck in my head for a while," unchecked tears fell from her eyes, "I have to find a way out of here. Even if it means I have to navigate through this imaginary world."

She knelt down, and she dipped her hand on the quiet waters. She waited in silence, and a small ripple appeared in the middle of the deep, cutting through the crystal illusion.

The woman held her breath.

A large dorsal ray emerged from the depths, bearing a familiar luminescent bulb at its tip, bringing light from underneath the dark, unfathomable waters. It swam, closer and closer towards her,

And when it reached the edge, a colossal fish surfaced – far bigger than what she had ever remembered.

It opened its crescent-shaped mouth, displaying fang-like teeth in an obscure smile. It bellowed in the silence of the undisturbed evening. The blare was loud and resonant, it echoed like a deep aria throughout the open grounds, bouncing against the Forest.

"Hello, old friend," Kagome said, reaching out to touch its misshapen head. It tilted, the scales jagged and sharp like knives, slick from the water, rough from the plant life that had grown on its nooks.

"The other side of the well has somehow closed. I guess I have to move forward for now. Will you help me cross, just like you did back then?"

The large fish, as large as a boat, submerged itself into the deep and left its flat back exposed to the surface.

With one last wipe to her wet cheeks, the blue-eyed woman hopped on her boat-sized fish friend, and she held on firmly on its dorsal ray. They quietly treaded to the other side.

* * *

She was barefoot, but she did not mind. The petals on her feet were soft, like luxurious cushions cradling her aching soles. As she passed by the ancient sentinels she purposely ran her hands through their rough bark, wishing it would stir the spirits that had greeted her back, hoping to hear the same distant voices that told her what to do.

But she was surrounded by silence, and the only sound was of the wind rustling through the bright pink foliage.

She looked up, beyond the sheltering canopies, into the twelve-moon twilight sky.

And she suddenly stopped.

The blue-eyed woman, exhausted and tired and still very confused, leaned onto a sakura tree and closed her eyes. "I don't recall… stepping beyond the boundaries of the Sakura Forest before." She remembered the golden-eyed boy, "As far as I know this was his territory… with him, I was always… safe."

She opened her eyes yet again, and she held her breath and tried to still her quickening heart.

Beyond the sakura-lined grass was a world she had never seen before, with floating islands and dancing little faerie lights and trees and flora that were all too unfamiliar and terrifying and overwhelming, lamps from afar indicative of dwellings that seem to be burrowed in the dirt, and beyond the distant mountains,

A beautiful, lonely castle,

suspended in the sky.

" _Go,"_ one of the distant voices suddenly whispered, _"He is stubborn… but deep inside, he still waits."_

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew, knocking the woman forward. She stumbled out of the forest and had to struggle to maintain her balance. When she was sure of her footing she breathed, and she looked back and waited.

For an unspoken direction, for an unknown answer to a question she never asked.

But it was only silence yet again.

She shifted her gaze to the soft petals that were crushed in her hands, and she remembered the image from so long ago, of the little boy waiting for her at the other end of the lake, and the happiness that would light up in his eyes whenever he saw her emerging from the wisteria curtain,

She remembered the young lady who called herself Rin, who was surrounded by fireflies and blooming sakura trees and a familiar fox-plush sitting vigilantly by her side,

That same young lady, looking at her with golden eyes so full of longing…

Kagome unconsciously held a hand over her chest, trying to calm an unseen ache that suddenly surfaced.

And she held her head up, refusing to be drowned by the crippling fear that was slowly creeping into her again.

She stepped forward into the terrifying unknown.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Beyond the Wisteria Curtain**_

 _Chapter 6_

* * *

" _Hime, where are you?"_

 _The tiny storm faerie flitted through the overgrowth, her nose scrunched up in worry, her brows knitted in distress. Earlier when the stars flickered down into a dull blue and their new friends had settled from their play, they gathered around the bonfire, and the precious little hime sang them her saddest lullaby._

 _It was a melody that tamed the giant wraiths of the Sand Ocean, the only song that brought them across the terrifying swamp-lands of the north. Out of the little hime's ancient odes and verses, this was one of the strongest she had:_

 _Only because it was the last song her dragon-candidate mother, the sea-serpent Yume sang to her, before disappearing from the realm of the spirit world without a trace._

" _Hime!" the faerie cried out, as sparks of lightning started to erupt from her tiny wings. She would not lose her, not now, not after all they had been through._

 _The tiny storm faerie halted to a stop, and she sighed in immense relief._

 _There was a familiar figure that knelt by the mouth of a small, friendly lake. The girl was barefoot, but her feet were cushioned by the soft grass, her hair was loose and wild but adorned by the flowers offered by the forest nymphs. The little hime, although small and barely clothed, was wrapped by the warmth of the ancient magic her nature had possessed._

 _The little girl looked her way, and her blue, blue eyes met hers._

" _You are awake," the girl said, and she gave the faerie a cheerful smile. "Did you have a good night's rest, tiny faerie?"_

 _The storm spirit huffed, "Please don't go running off without me," she buzzed past her small face. She perched herself comfortably atop the hime's branch-like horns, crossed her legs and bossily crossed her arms. "You worry me too much! My young fae heart cannot take such distress. What are you doing here, anyway?"_

" _Ah, I was trying to summon my mother," the girl quietly answered. She dipped her small hands into the surface of the shallow lake. Ripples broke through the mirror-like waters, and they waited… and waited…_

 _It was then that the faerie, who was perched atop the girl's deer-like horns, flitted her wings and flew into the hime's gaze. She reached out her tiny hands, and she wiped the tears that rolled down the cheeks of the precious little girl._

" _Hime,"_

" _Perhaps she has been put to an abnormal slumber? Perhaps she is far away from her medium," the girl said, "I know that they have hidden her from me… I know that she is trying to reach out to me too,_

 _I can almost hear her calling,_

 _Just as how the winds of the Holy Mountain are crying, begging me to come back…"_

 _The tiny storm faerie fell silent, what other words of comfort could she offer?_

 _The little hime with blue eyes stood from her position, allowing the breeze to deliver its comforting whispers of reassurances._

 _It then turned cold, shivering cold… a low rumble of ominous thunder rolled throughout the skies. Rainclouds had suddenly gathered, and the blue sky was now a harsh, punishing dome that transformed the beautiful landscape into a world full of gloom._

 _A chill settled on the storm spirit's spine, and she shivered, in thoughts of the things that were to come._

" _Why don't we head back?" the faerie finally pleaded, "I heard… that Higher Hazakura's core has been so corrupted, that even a dragon's song could not penetrate its blackened heart…"_

" _You don't have to follow me, tiny faerie," the little girl said, her gaze was intent beyond the dark, raincloud-covered mountains, "I know I may fail… but I also know that I still have a chance," her tiny fists clenched her thin yukata tight, "I know I have a chance. I have touched the Inu General's heart,_

 _Although it was too late, he was too broken to stand up against them,_

 _Maybe his heir is stronger in will._

 _Maybe I will be able to reach his courage before they do…_

 _Maybe that little puppy will hear my song, and it will clear all of the misunderstandings,_

 _It will clear all of the misunderstandings…_

 _And everyone will finally know the truth."_

 _The little girl wiped her tears, she bravely faced the ominous frontier ahead of them._

 _Lightning exploded against the dark, angry sky, breaking the rainclouds that engulfed the mountains beyond, breaking the dark dome that concealed their destination:_

 _It was then that the magnificent view of the Floating Castle of Higher Hazakura surfaced._

 _The storm spirit felt fear whispering in her soul, upon laying eyes on the end to their sorrowful journey. She clutched her heart, and she turned to the little girl who stood resolute and firm, her precious little chin held up high._

 _The spirit held her breath: the girl looked like the light of a single candle, burning through the bottom of an endless night._

" _I will stay beside you," the tiny faerie whispered, "Hime, should we be separated in this final stretch, I will find you._

 _If they bind you to the deepest bowels of the underworld I will follow you._

 _Whichever world you end up in, magic or non-magical…_

 _Kagome-hime, I will always be by your side.."_

 _The little hime turned to her and reached out, and the storm spirit lit up in a brilliant surge of lightning. The tiny faerie was not so tiny anymore, she was a young woman in the prime of her youth,_

 _And she was looking down at the little girl, holding her small hand tight._

 _They smiled at each other in reassurance. The familiar warmth of the little girl's archaic power engulfed her trembling form._

" _Calm your fears," the little hime said, as they stood under the darkening sky, "If something is meant to be, it will always find a way."_

* * *

"Souten," the familiar voice softly called out, "Souten, wake up."

Long lashes fluttered to the summon, the young woman roused from her sleep. The soft white curtains, drifting from the touch of the afternoon breeze, the scent of sterile hospital bleach; Souten looked around to her surroundings. As her gaze had gained focus and she was now more aware than she was before, the young miko sat up from her position.

She had fallen asleep again,

In the middle of the bright afternoon,

while watching over her fiance's sister.

A soft chuckle from behind her reminded her that she was not alone.

"How is she doing?" a familiar presence asked, and Souten shifted her gaze to the man standing behind her. It was Souta, her fiancé, and the comatose woman's younger brother.

Souten shook her head, indicating no changes. The woman before them was still in her abnormal slumber. Kagome was laying in front of them, her blue, blue eyes open but unseeing, trapped in a severe state of catatonia,

Never responding to touch, unable to hear the soft summons of her name. Only the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed indicated precious life,

The warmth of her hand as Souten continued to hold it tight a comforting reassurance.

The sunset-eyed miko felt a soft brush to her cheeks.

"You were crying," Souta took a chair from the corner and settled down beside her, "Did you have that dream again?"

"Yes," Souten finally replied, "The same recurrent dream, Souta… since I was a child."

The young police captain gave the miko a soft smile. He watched in awe at the young Miko's bravery: she was holding Kagome's hand the whole time.

If his sister were awake, Souten wouldn't even dare look her way. His strong-willed fiancée would turn into this timid, stuttering child in front of his perpetually soft-hearted sister. It was altogether odd, at the same time, amusing. The police captain of Hazakura fell silent, as thoughts of his sister's lively laughter clenched his heart.

He slowly leaned his head on his fiancee's shoulder and sighed drearily.

His attention shifted to the warmth of Souten's comforting embrace, as she engulfed her in his arms. And his gaze drifted, inevitably, to the dark discoloration that would start on his fiancee's neck. He knew that underneath her clothing it would extend down, covering the entire left area of her chest.

"They say that birthmarks are scars from a past life…" He splayed his hand on her chest, over her heart, where the darkest of her birthmark was, "It is formed at the exact place where you endured a severe blow." The young police captain closed his eyes, "We've known each other since we were born, but you never got to tell me about that dream of yours. Maybe someday you will be able to tell me what it is."

The young miko sighed. Her gaze drifted to her hand, it had been holding the unresponsive Kagome's hand the whole time. "Maybe someday." She replied softly.

* * *

There were a million stars saturating the night sky, and the blue-eyed woman, amidst her fear and confusion, paused to revel at the twelve moons that loomed like giant faces, lighting her path, guiding her way.

The dim blue energy seemed to reach out to her in comfort, bringing yet another soft sigh from the gentle breeze:

"Go," it whispered, distant voices from the Sakura forest, and she had to pause yet again to look behind her.

The sight of the thick pink foliage was getting smaller and smaller, and she turned ahead of her, to the direction of the Floating Castle in the sky. Watching at it from a distance, it shone like the comforting energy of the twelve moons. A curious emotion flickered in Kagome's heart.

A deep, profound hurt,

And an immeasurable loneliness…

The memory of the golden-eyed girl named Rin suddenly surfaced in her mind, and somehow… that water serpent with scarlet eyes as it let out its soul-piercing cry.

Her gaze drifted to her feet because it suddenly ached and throbbed, it was then that remembered, gone were the soft sakura petals that cushioned her feet. She had been walking alongside a dirt road, barefoot, the whole time.

Little orbs suddenly drifted from the bushes, quite shyly, like multicolored little bubbles clustered together, rising from the ground. Kagome squinted, she could swear she saw something else moving.

She blushed a little when she realized, the objects were not bubbles… they were the tiniest of _people_ , with what seemed like bundles of balloons tied to their waists, suspended in the air, bobbing up and down with the breeze.

The blue-eyed woman opened the palm of her hand, and a tiny person decided to perch on it.

It looked back at her with an equally curious gaze.

"Hello," Kagome said hesitantly, "What might you be?"

The tiny person wiggled its nose, and the balloons, or bubbles on her back, whatever it was, trembled and popped.

Kagome stepped back in surprise.

The little person doubled over in silent laughter, rolling in her hand in mirth, finding amusement in Kagome's expense. It quickly recovered and put its thumb in its mouth, started blowing in air.

The tiny bubbles on her back started proliferating, regenerating as if it never popped.

Then suddenly there was a slight rush and flurry. The little bubble-clad people clustered towards Kagome, and she found herself swarmed with hundreds of multicolored little orbs, laughing and smiling, popping and inflating, falling on her shoulder, on her head, on the ground.

Some landed on the shrubs… the little popped bubbles leaving behind a tiny drop of water that glistened on the blades of grass.

"Mist faeries…" Kagome whispered, breathless, recalling her repressed childhood where she would walk by the Hazakura river early in the morning and wave to these busy sprites a cheerful hello.

Kagome started to laugh. She raised her hands, welcoming the playful little sprites, and they responded eagerly to her, popping and clinging and falling, rising in the air and falling close to her and her proximity. She was too caught up in her amusement when there was a wet pop to her cheek. Blinking back to 'reality', the blue-eyed woman's gaze drifted to the little person that was drifting so close to her – for there was not even a single faerie who wasn't clamoring for her attention- it had given her a little kiss.

They tiny faerie batted her pretty lashes, and it smiled shyly, a blush rising on her little cheeks.

Kagome was about to laugh… but a sudden memory intruded into her head:

" _Hey Higurashi, you waving at your imaginary friends?" her classmate said with a snide smirk._

" _Oh yeah, Higurashi is seeing her friends again," another one said, "Hey," she announced to the whole group, "Crazy Kagome has brought one of her magical buddies! What is it this time, a two-headed beast?!"_

" _Last week it was a toad man!"_

" _What are you, Higurashi, a four year old?!"_

" _Quiet, or else her spirit friends will hex you!"_

 _The whole group laughed._

The blue-eyed woman stiffened.

Then a rush of all the painful memories of mocking laughter, the secret whispers,

her mother's constant crying,

the painful shots that went on every eight hours until she was so heavily medicated she would find herself drooling on the corner, unable to move:

"Get away from me…" Kagome whispered, "Get away!" she shook her head and shut her eyes tight, refusing to believe what was before her.

" _You will know what is real and what is not_ ," the words of her mentor drifted in her mind. _"Kagome, you are strong enough to overcome your illness."_

The tiny mist faerie's gaze softened. She reached out to touch the blue-eyed woman's cheeks, to the tears that started trickling down her face.

But a soft tug held her back, it was an older sprite, and the elder shook his head as he watched the miserable girl before them.

"Go away," Kagome started pleading, unaware that she had even uttered those words out loud. Years and years of trying to deny, trying to suppress… the fortress she had so carefully built… it couldn't just give in to one blow.

The mist faerie drifted one last time to the sobbing woman's cheek and planted a gentle kiss.

With soft, saddened gazes, the little floating sprites allowed themselves to blend in the background, turning into little dews of the foliage and forest leaves.

* * *

When Kagome opened her eyes she found herself alone in the dirt road, under the light of the twelve moons, surrounded by a thousand sparkling crystals of dew and mist of the twilight. The forest seemed quiet, not even the rustle of the wind through the trees was present.

Kagome clenched her fists, "I'm sorry," she whispered to nobody in particular, "I still need to figure things out… I need time to figure things out."

The little dewdrops on the foliage seemed to tremble.

And Kagome sighed, utterly confused if the movement was brought about again by her imagination or not.

Then, another shuffle from overhead.

Kagome's gaze snapped to the end of the trail. Her heart quickened in pace as she realized, they were footsteps. Relieved to finally come across real people, Kagome ran towards the sound.

She halted when someone emerged, it was a man and a woman, both clad in strange, drab clothing that almost looked like rags. It almost reminded Kagome of the peasants depicted in history class about Feudal-era Japan.

They looked as equally startled as she was, as they stared at each other for quite a while.

"A… a deer youkai?" the woman said, offhandedly, and the man seemed to snap out of his shock and shifted his gaze to Kagome's deer-like horns.

"You're right, darling," he answered, and he grinned.

The comment made the blue-eyed woman question herself, was that what she was? A deer youkai?

"Aren't we lucky to have found you first," the woman inched closer towards her, and Kagome backed off, alarmed. There was something in their grins that sent off the warning bells in her head…

"Come here, little doe. Don't be scared," the man cooed.

The gentle, almost sinister attempt made Kagome's fear shoot up. The blue-eyed woman turned around to sprint away, but the couple, it seemed, had inhuman speed. She found herself tackled to the ground.

The man had his weight pinned on her small frame. The woman reached over and stuffed Kagome's mouth with her scarf. The grinning man took off his bandana and tied it around Kagome's hands,

"Ssshh, little doe," he said, and he took out an object from his pocket.

Kagome's eyes widened in horror as she realized he was brandishing a dull, dirty knife, "It's only going to be just a little while…"

He pushed the knife down, and he started carving on her branch-like antlers. Kagome felt an intense wave of pain shoot through her head, down to her spine.

She struggled violently, she thrashed like a wild animal being slaughtered alive.

Then the man started sawing through her horns.

Kagome screamed.

"Shut up!" the woman grabbed Kagome by the neck, "You dumb animal! You act as if it's the most painful thing in the world! It shouldn't feel any pain… it will grow right back next summer!"

As the man started to carve his way in, he paused in shock. There was something on her horns that wasn't supposed to be there: "Why is there… blood?"

"What the hell is going on here!?" A female voice interrupted, and the couple halted in shock. The frightened Kagome, seeing an opportunity, rose up and headbutted the man on top of her.

She rammed man hard, her horns grazing his face. He reeled back and away.

The woman backed away too, seeing Kagome wiggle free from her hand restraints.

"What the hell?" The newcomer exclaimed yet again, seeing the knife on the man's arms. His face was bleeding, and he held the angriest expression.

The blue-eyed woman shot a wary look at her-

Blood was also trickling heavily on her face, heavier than the man's,

And the newcomer realized it was coming from her horns.

"What were you trying to do?" The female newcomer demanded, "Taking deer youkai's horns against their will has been outlawed!"

"She is our property!" The old woman said, "She's been our pet since she was a yearling," she then dared to look at Kagome expectantly, "Aren't you, little doe?"

Kagome spit out the horrible gag in her mouth and glared at the woman, "I don't know you people!" she reeled, damn her world was spinning. There was a stream of red running down her vision.

The old woman's eyes grew wide, "She speaks?"

"Leave us be, stranger!" The man said to the intruder as he stepped towards Kagome. The blue-eyed woman stepped back. But the more she moved the more the world spun,

Too much blood,

Abnormal amounts of blood…

Dripping down her face…

"It obvious she's not with you," the newcomer woman said, "If you don't stop this ridiculous nonsense I'll report your crime to the Hazakura Magistrate!"

"You wouldn't-"

"My husband is a messenger of the internal affairs, and I myself am a servant in the Weather God's castle. I have enough connections of my own-"

The couple threw the woman a disgusted glare.

The woman looked back at them with firm resolve.

With one last angry huff, the couple stormed off.

Kagome fell on her knees, unable to keep upright from the blood loss.

"Hey, you're hurt…" came the newcomer's now gentle voice.

Kagome lifted her gaze. The newcomer woman was dressed differently from the couple from earlier. She was clad in a modest yukata, she was holding a basket filled with food and herbs. The yukata-clad woman reached out to Kagome and opened the palm of her hand, offering her a piece of what looked like some kind of grass.

As if she were an injured little animal,

As if she were a lost pet.

"Don't touch me," Kagome said, "Are you going to hurt me?" she swayed from lightheadedness, but she refused to pass out. She didn't want to close her eyes to this strange, strange land.

The yukata-clad woman blinked, as if she were recovering from the fact that a 'pet' like her could speak. "I know a healer in our village," she managed to say, "I'll take you there."

Kagome flinched when the woman reached out again.

"Dammit, you dumb little deer! Can't you see you're dying?!" The woman made a frustrated 'hmph' sound, and she stomped forward and gathered Kagome in her arms. It was surprisingly firm, and Kagome, whose vision was already blurring and lips growing pale, couldn't do anything but resign to her captor's manhandling.

A brilliant flame of red exploded before them, a large fire cat appeared.

The woman, with the nearly unconscious prize slung on her shoulder, mounted the fire cat, and they were lifted off the ground…

They were flying through the air.

"What is your name?" Kagome asked.

"Sango," the woman answered, gripping the limp woman tighter lest she fall off their mount.

"Please don't hurt me, Sango," Kagome whispered weakly, unable to fight back.

"I won't." The woman answered back, "At this moment, I need all the good Karma I can get."


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N:_** I'm sorry for the slow updates, I've been so busy lately.

Doumbek- goblet drum

Riqq- tambourine

Amir- Prince/ruler

Italicized bold are flashbacks

thanks!

* * *

 ** _Beyond the Wisteria Curtain_**

 _Chapter 7_

* * *

She opened her eyes, the distant bells that were from her dream, filtered from her slumber, connected to her waking consciousness. She sat up, her gaze drifted towards the curious little vase settled carefully on her side.

It was filled with crystal flowers, exquisitely beautiful, quite fragile, and it swayed from the gentle breeze that sneaked quietly from the open window of her unfamiliar shelter.

The blue-eyed woman reached out and touched her head. One of her antlers were gingerly wrapped in bandages. It seemed like the bleeding had stopped, but the ache was still there, like the little whisper of fear and uncertainty that had been pulsing in her heart.

She lifted her covers away, and she stood, albeit quite unstable. She brought her gaze towards the open window.

Outside her confines was a strange blue sky. It was a sky that held twelve looming moons even in the brightness of the day. They stood like quiet guardians, faces as pale as bone, watching quietly, waiting patiently.

She knew that come nighttime it would shine its subtle light, veiling this strange world yet again with a magical dim.

She reached out to the window frame, and testing its height, the blue-eyed woman climbed up on the sill, just as how she did in her ancient, rickety home. She jumped out, her feet landing on the grass with a gentle thump.

Kagome held her breath, she closed her eyes.

She wished, with all her heart, that when she opened them she would find herself back home.

Back to the old, dusty place where the floorboards creaked even when one tried to walk tiptoe, back to the shade of the blooming Sakura trees and creeping, strangely comforting Wisteria,

To that nostalgic place where it would have seemed that time had stopped, but didn't quite.

She opened her eyes, wishing and whispering and praying with all her heart.

But before her was an impossible open valley of green, carpeted with a thick curtain of bright, yellow flowers. The valley continued like an endless illusion, overwhelming it was she thought she stood in the middle of a sparkling yellow ocean.

Then the wind suddenly blew her way.

Whispers from afar filled her exhilarated senses, and she turned to the direction of the hushed voices. From afar she could see the pink lining of the Sakura Forest, and in between, an unraveling sea of pollen and flower.

Kagome had to blink, for she could almost see puffy little orbs in between her vision, rising slowly to meet the wind.

She held out her hand, and the little orbs of yellow whisked her way, swirling in her open palm. It lingered for a little while and seemed to dance around her in giddy greeting.

"Are you lost, just like I?" she whispered.

She thought she heard them answer… small voices, conjuring in reply, but the wind, as if in a way of playful impatience, prodded the little sprites, whisking them away towards the vast green fields, upward, to the endless, cloudless blue sky.

Breathless she looked to her left, on the horizons, the sparkling of what looked like a distant sea, and beyond the distant sea, the peaks of what looked like a faraway mountain range.

"Where am I?" she whispered.

In her memory, there was the image of the white-haired boy with golden eyes, taking her hand gently and keeping her close, leaning his head on hers.

 _"_ _Home,"_ he would say, _"If you agree to stay with me forever, all of this will be our home."_

A quiet presence settled behind her, and she turned around.

"You are in the border between the human world and the dwelling of the higher gods. One of the many realms of the Spirit World." Sango, who had been standing behind her for quite some time, took cautious steps towards the strange, blue-eyed woman with antlers on her head. She laid a hand gently on the woman's shoulder and motioned her to look the other way.

The blue-eyed woman held her breath, and her feet sprang to life as she saw what was on the other side.

She stopped when she reached the edge. They were standing on a grassy cliff, one that overlooked a vast, thriving town. She looked down, trying to take it all in.

Strange looking creatures, some big, others small, there were duck-like beasts pulling carts of oddly shaped fruit, slender, human-like plants with little buds on their heads trying out new clothing, extraordinarily beautiful women shedding petals as they walked,

A busy market,

Even a little school…

Her eyes darted around, in confusion and in awe. And beyond the large, bustling town, appearing in her vision like mist rising from the ground,

was a giant castle, suspended in the air.

There were anchors of vines and ropes holding the towers, keeping it so as not to drift away with the pull of the impatient wind.

"That is the Weather Tower, where the Weather God and his family dwells."

"The Weather Tower?" Kagome repeated, "The Weather God?"

 ** _"_** ** _That is my home," the golden-eyed puppy pointed to a far away floating castle, "That is where I live, where we will live. I am the future Weather God, you see._**

 ** _The fair and righteous deity that controls life-giving rain."_**

 ** _He puffed his chest in pride, but then he pouted._**

 ** _She was giggling at him, at his innocent little boast._**

"Yes," Sango said, almost impatiently. "He controls the distribution of rain, both in the Spirit World and the Non-magical Realm, where the humans reside. You should know that," she mumbled, "Well, what do I expect from a wee little deer."

Kagome looked back at her, brows meeting in confusion. The woman named Sango looked away with a splash of red rising to her cheeks,

As if she were caught saying something offensive.

"I apologize," Kagome weighed in on her explanation. Will she tell this stranger where she came from? Will she believe?

Or will they think of her as crazy, just like everyone else…

just like herself?

"I realize that I lost my memories quite some time ago," she lied, "The only thing I remember was waking up by the boundary of the Sakura Forest, and having that chance encounter with the couple. "

For a while the woman named Sango gave her a curious look. Kagome remained neutral-faced, a mask she had mastered since her days as a clinical psychologist.

Then Sango's hardened gaze gradually softened. "Let's get you inside," she motioned.

Kagome nodded, casting a parting glance at the enormous, looming castle.

 ** _"_** ** _Come with me," the golden-eyed puppy pleaded, "Please stay."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Maybe some other day." Kagome said as she stepped onto her fish friend, she squinted her eyes and cast her gaze to the twelve-moon sky. It was getting dark._**

 ** _"_** ** _You always say that…" his floppy ears drooped, and he plopped down the grass in dejection, "But you never. You never."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I'll come back for you, just like I always do," she said, as the light on her fish friend's rod started burning brighter. The water on her feet stirred, it was time to go._**

 ** _"_** ** _What if you don't?" he said. He vainly looked away and whimpered._**

 ** _"_** ** _Then come after me,"_**

 ** _"_** ** _What if you're not there?" The puppy wept._**

 ** _Little Kagome fell silent. She knew that when she was back home, her mother would shed more tears, the bespectacled Doctor would snow her with even more powerful medications._**

 ** _"_** ** _Then look for me," she said softly, a quiet besiege lacing, a hidden prayer behind her child's words. "If that time ever comes, that means I cannot get to you, even if I tried to. Little puppy, look hard, and don't stop until you find me._**

 ** _I will always come to you when I see you._**

 ** _I promise I will never forget you."_**

 ** _She wished he had listened. He might have, most probably he did not. He was too busy sulking in the grass, triflingly wallowing in his naïve little grief._**

"Kagome?" Sango called out.

The blue-eyed woman tore her gaze away, and she headed towards her waiting host.

* * *

"You lost all your memories," The woman named Sango said as she handed her a cup, "And the only thing you remember is waking up to the couple trying to harvest your antlers,"

"Yes," Kagome lied. "I have no recollection of anything, where I am from or who I am." The blue-eyed woman stared as morosely as she can, with the best of her abilities, into the odd silver liquid of the cup. She would pretend to be deeply troubled, she had to convince Sango she meant no harm. The woman was her only safety wall in this bizarre, twelve-mooned world.

Kagome could see her strange reflection in the mirror-like surface, how her hair was already past her waist, how her blue eyes had taken into a preternaturally iridescent hue.

 _I am not myself anymore,_

 _My imagination… is growing out of hand._

 _Doctor Akitoki…_

 _Forgive me… for this temporary descent into madness…_

Her blue gaze flashed towards the people sitting before her, the one named Sango, and a new arrival to whom she was introduced to as Sango's _groom_ , Miroku. They were both looking at her with what was akin to pity.

The blue-eyed woman, lost as she was, would rather take pity than malice… and a blunt knife that attempted to cut off her horns.

"Thank you for saving me…" Kagome continued, drifting her gaze towards an old woman who was lying under the covers, on a futon. "And bringing me to a healer." She reached out and set her hand on the old woman's.

And the old woman roused, opened her weary eyes.

* * *

When Kagome was brought into the healer Kaede's hut, she was as pale as bone, and her odd white-and-scarlet kimono was soaked in quite a frightening amount of blood. It came as a surprise to Kaede when her niece Sango pointed out the source of the woman's injury: it was from the large, branch-like protrusions on her head.

Antlers, it so much resembled, much like that of a deer youkai,

But it lacked the velvety quality upon touch, and it did not branch out into erratic directions like the deer do.

It almost looked, in a way, unusual. There was no other way to describe it.

There was no other way to describe it, just like the strange, unusual woman before them, with her eerily incandescent blue eyes amid the brightness of the day.

Kaede placed a healing hand upon the wound, and the next thing they knew, the old, experienced healer was lying on her futon, recovering from a strange blackout, drained of her energy.

"My mana will heal, it will replenish." Kaede reassured, "I apologize I could not help you recover, child."

Kagome pulled away, and she stared absently in her cup, watching the puffs of steam rising from her brew.

The group stayed that way for quite some time.

She lifted the wooden cup to her lips. The moment the viscous liquid touched her tongue, Kagome felt the most horrible urge to gag. She tried to choke her own vomit down. What it only did was send jets of water, leaking down her jaw.

"Uh," the blue-eyed woman covered her mouth in utter embarrassment. Praying with all her will that the couple were engaged in some talk with each other, she dared to steal a glance. Her cheeks flared a lovely shade of red: they had seen the whole thing.

Sango's eyes widened, she leaned over to her groom and whispered, "Let's keep her… please?"

She asked him as if she were desiring a pet.

Miroku squeezed Sango's hand. "I don't know, dear… she probably just strayed from her master…"

"But she seems so helpless…" Sango whispered even softer, and the couple both looked the woman's way. "And besides," Sango added, now with a hopeful whisper, "We need all the good karma we can get."

Good Karma, the blue-eyed woman thought,

Sango had mentioned that during her rescue.

What could that possibly mean?

Kagome, suddenly aware that all eyes were on her, cleared her throat and looked away, trying to distract herself.

"Your owners must be looking for you," said Miroku, passing a hand on his bride, settling it gently on her knee, "We have to report you to the Census—"

"Please!" The blue-eyed woman suddenly prostrated, her face almost planting on the floor. "Please… don't…" Kagome didn't know why. Perhaps it was the whisper of fear that was aflutter in her heart, the unfamiliarity of this strange, strange land… "Let me stay with you," she closed her eyes, a veil of embarrassment covering her pale cheeks, "You have honest intentions in your heart, I can see by the way you dealt with me.

I can do chores, I'm capable of so many things that could be of help…

Just… please…"

They may not be the people she thought they were, for all she knew, the moment they brought her home, they would cut her antlers off and leave her for dead. But something, something whispered to her, a tiny voice of her own, in the deepest chambers of her confused heart.

"Please," she whispered, trying to control the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes.

A gentle hand settled on her shoulder, and Kagome lifted her gaze from the floor. Sango was looking down at her, a gentle smile gracing her usually severe expression. "You don't have to beg," she said, "Stay with us until you recover your memories. My groom and I, we may not have material riches, but we have enough to live comfortably."

In a flurry of cloth, Sango found herself engulfed in the tightest embrace.

"Thank you," Kagome said, "I promise I won't be a bother… just tell me what I can do, simple house chores, though I'm not used to cooking-"

"In our noble Master's dwelling, we will definitely need your help," Sango pulled away, "And the kitchen has no opening positions, so you won't have to worry about cooking. It wouldn't be a problem, really, finding work for you, I could claim you as a distant relative, but…" she held Kagome's face on the palm of her hands, studying her deeply, watching her quietly.

"But what?" the blue-eyed woman asked.

"I didn't notice this when I first met you, when I rescued you that night. The dim of the twelve moons was my only light, and everything was moving so fast. Only now that I am before you, in the light of the generous sun do I see…"

Kagome's brows drew together in confusion, and Sango took it as a cue to continue.

"Your features," Sango confessed, "They are most… unusual. Not that of a typical deer… no…"

A flame of red started to burn on Kagome's cheeks, the moment she realized Sango's implications. Kagome pulled away, extremely embarrassed. "If you're saying I'm—" She cleared her throat, unable to utter the word. "Y-you better get your eyes checked,"

"I'm not kidding," Sango held Kagome's face firmly, "There are many who hold exceptional beauty in Higher Hazakura, especially in the Master's dwelling. But what you possess…"

Kagome shifted uncomfortably from her seat, shrinking under Sango's intense sunset gaze.

"You're bound to stand out," Miroku added from the corner, "An inquiry to your origins may follow. From that point on, you won't be under our protection-"

"Then I'll hide my face," Kagome huffed in resignation, quite annoyed. The blue-eyed woman certainly thought that there was nothing different, nothing unusual about her.

The couple before her, with their pointed ears and fangs and scarlet eyes, the 'people' she saw in the market, the extraordinarily, truly beautiful women shedding petals from their pink hair:

They were exceptional,

And not she.

Yes, she was quite normal in her mind,

except for the antlers on her head.

"I'll put on a mask or something—"

"That might work," the woman named Sango seemed to give it a thought. She turned to her groom, and the man shrugged.

"It can't be helped," Miroku sighed, "What are we waiting for? The tailor shop closes before sundown."

* * *

"I look so…" Kagome paused, "Weird."

The blue-eyed woman stared at herself in the mirror, looking like an old-world monk _._ She had donned a drab grey cloak and hood that dragged on the floor, nulling and voiding any curve she had in her petite, womanly body. She wore a most unusual mask: plain, bone-white, _enchanted_ , so that when one stared into her eyes, one wouldn't see the iridescent blue,

but an empty hollow,

matched with a bland mouth as hollow and empty as her supposed eyes.

"I'm not sure about this, Sango. They probably won't even let me in at this point…" and from that, Kagome stared intentionally at her mask, specifically on the part of her supposed forehead-

Her _abnormally long_ forehead.

She looked like the slender-headed aliens in low-budget cult movies.

The blue-eyed woman tried to hold it, but she found she couldn't. Kagome, amidst the bustle and movement in the busy tailor shop, reeled and trembled.

The masked woman _laughed._

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Sango tried holding her smile, for her companion's humor was quite contagious, peals of laughter sounding like distant bells from the of the East, "But we had to find a way to conceal your antlers, too. The shadow of your cloak simply won't do,"

At that point, the white-masked creature braced her hands on Sango's shoulder.

"I know, and it's clever," Kagome was still trying to reel herself back from her debilitating fit of laughter, "Oh! I look like No-Face from that Hisashi movie! Except that No-Face is cute…" Sango had to hold her up, from sinking to the floor, "And me, I just look weird with my long forehead—"

Sango stepped back, her brows up in bewilderment. "What… in the twelve moons… are you _talking_ about?"

There were audible " _Ssshh's"_ and condescending 'Keep quiet!'s thrown at their direction, and the blue-eyed woman, who was quite concealed in every shape, form, and way, finally contained herself.

"Are we all set?" Miroku's head peeked in from the rustic door, "We have to get home. It's getting dark," he nervously motioned outside, "We'll eat at the tavern for now, we have no time to cook."

The two women thanked the old tailor, who had a puffy coat of white hung around her shoulder, and Kagome even started to compliment her choice of clothing when her companion pulled her to the corner and whispered cautiously, _"It's not a coat."_

They headed to the waiting man who stood by the doorway.

"Damn you women take forever to shop," Miroku muttered under his breath, from which he received a hefty poke on the ribs from his bride. They took a moment to pause because their concealed companion had suddenly stopped.

The blue-eyed woman halted to a standstill, taking in the multi-colored lights that illuminated the cobblestone and brick streets. Odd, but readable signage of the shops, the funny contraptions and items on display behind stained-glass windows, and the strange-looking beings that hopped and shuffled, even _glided_ along the vibrant marketplace.

* * *

They ate under the stars, in an open tavern with rickety benches and youthful, towering trees. The twelve moons peeked from the sparse canopy, where the festive lights were strung like thick veils. It was a saturation of light and laughter, and it was quite humorous, watching their naïve blue-eyed friend, trying to take in all.

The blue-eyed woman, wide-eyed and cheeks flushed in awe, was dazed and inarticulate. It was almost to the point of rude the way she stared at everything that came her way. The couple helped her figure out the utensils, which food to cut and what item was for mere garnish.

"I apologize," Kagome said, cleaning her plate up, "I feel like a helpless little child. It's embarrassing,"

"Take your time in figuring things out," Sango patted her hand, "Your memory will come back to you. In the meantime, we focus on today. You still need some mending in your spirit to do."

The blue-eyed woman nodded her head. She was about to verbalize her appreciation, (maybe for the hundredth time tonight), was about to slide the mask back over her face, when an array of creatures caught her eye. A burly bear-like beast holding a Doumbek, two fanged men wielding tambourines, and man, with a flowing midnight blue cloak, holding an exceptionally large _lyre_ -

Positioned themselves in the platform and started _performing._

"Ah, its freelance night," Sango leaned on their new friend, only to be met with confusion. "Since this is the end of the _Five Days of Obligations_ , everyone is in a festive mood. Anyone is welcome to perform in certain taverns. Professionals, amateurs, travelers from the Far Realms."

"You mean, like a _Friday Night Karaoke_?" The blue-eyed woman tried.

"A _what_?" Sango volleyed, but her friend's piqued curiosity was short-lived: Kagome's attention was stolen the moment the man in the midnight cloak started singing.

Plucking his Lyre, accompanied by the deep bass of his bear-companion's drums, Sango raised a brow, impressed. "They're good."

They were good, the blue-eyed foreigner thought, so good that the people around them started clapping to the joyful rhythm, some swayed their heads in tune, others stood up and actually started _dancing_.

"I'll be heading home," Miroku huffed impatiently, leaving the table, "While you ladies swoon over foreigners." He threw them one last look and almost rolled his eyes, they were not paying attention.

"Oh my," the blue-eyed woman exclaimed, and with her heart pounding she closed her eyes. The man sang of a mystical place, where an ocean of sand stretched as far as the eyes could see,

Of silk-clad people in beasts of burden summoning pillars of gold and fire,

Protecting their fortress from the siege of another conquering king-

 _A fortnight ago she came,_

 _Therefore we do not fear…_

 _Her song she left behind,_

 _We do not fear,_

 _The little traveler bound with energy of old_

 _Has blessed us with her song._

 _Yes, the dark days are no longer,_

 _We do not fear._

The singing suddenly stopped, and the song was now a rich resonance of the Doumbek and Riqq. Kagome opened her eyes, and in the middle of all the jubilant dancing was the outstretched hand of the blue-clad Minstrel,

Dark-skinned, mysterious violet eyes, he flashed a fanged smile at the awestruck woman. "Dance," he took her hand without apprehension, and he whisked her away from their table, pulling her into the middle of the crowd.

"I'm not sure about this-" Kagome hesitated, but he continued to look at her intensely under the shade of his hood, arresting her attention.

"What are you not sure of? I can see, just like I, you are a creature moved by song," He prodded, strumming his lyre to the melody, dancing around her in circles, "Look around you. Does it really matter?"

Maybe it was the inebriating rhythm. Perhaps it was the convivial jubilation, the energy of the evening. The strangeness of everything around. In this bizarre land where she did not even recognize herself, the blue-eyed woman found herself intoxicated with the laughter, with the song,

Immersed with the mysterious minstrel's lyrics, she danced.

She danced, until was not only the both of them, as the others joined in. The burly bear, the two tambourine-wielding men, and pretty much everyone else enjoying the song, clapping their hands, swaying hips, twirling in circles,

"You are unusual," the minstrel said, his smile growing even more daring, "I've never…" he trailed off. At the height of the song he reached out to her, "I've never… seen anything like you…"

Everyone else was immersed in their celebration. But she, the foreigner in the strange land, stood very still. His fingers were surprisingly gentle, running through the edges of her hood. Just as he was about to lift the cloth off her head to reveal her face, she felt a soft tug on her sleeve.

"We have to go," The familiar tone of Sango's voice reeled her to consciousness, bringing her back under the canopy of trees slung with colorful lights, out of the lulling verse of the minstrel's song.

"It was fun," Kagome hastily bowed down, the tug from her friend gradually becoming an urgent pull. And the minstrel, seeing her receding form, seemed to scramble in panic. But she was suddenly out of sight, swallowed into the confusion of swaying bodies.

"Kouga-" One of the tambourine-wielders called out, and it was enough to ground the seemingly perplexed male. "Amir," he said under his breath, concerned.

"I lost her, Hakkaku." The cloaked male said, utterly dejected.

"Lost who?" the second tambourine-wielder chimed in.

"That _woman_ …" he searched through the crowd yet again, but all was in vain.

"Hey, there are plenty of _women_ , here and in our kingdom!" Hakkaku playfully struck him in the ribs, "Now continue your verse or else you'll ruin the whole poem-"

The minstrel chuckled. Women, in all shapes and forms, started to dance around him, some even winking suggestively. The midnight-cloaked man lifted his lyre and started singing again, resuming the merriment of the evening,

But secretly his eyes searched, every once in a while,

Hoping to catch a glimpse of unforgettable blue eyes.

* * *

"I'm sorry if I pulled you out so abruptly," Sango had been quiet for most of the trip, and Kagome truly welcomed her companion's regard. "It's not safe for you to reveal yourself just yet…" she looked up at the hovering twelve moons. "At least until you recover your memories."

"I understand. I got… carried away."

Kagome looked down, to the blinking lights of the villages below. They were riding the white fire cat, the one they rode when Sango brought her to safety the first night they met. She could feel its powerful muscles as it sprang through the air, everything below them a magical blur.

Kagome dipped her hand down, running her fingers through the clouds as if she were through a river.

Meekly, she took a peek at her reticent companion. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you silly girl." Sango looked back, giving her a dry, lopsided grin. "Besides, I couldn't just start cursing at you. I need good karma." She mumbled her last sentence more to herself, and it made Kagome do a double-take.

Sango shook her head. "You're a very good dancer," she tried to change the topic.

"Am I?" The blue-eyed woman said, almost cynically. As far as she could remember, she was the kid who was always teased for having two _left feet_.

"I'm serious," Sango answered quietly, trying to hold conversation. "You caught the rhythm of his foreign song well. How about singing? Do you know how to sing?"

Kagome chuckled. "Don't even mention _that."_

Under the rush of the cool night air, blowing in their ears,

The wisps of clouds, passing through her fingers,

The blue-eyed girl suddenly fell silent.

The last time she sang, she made her brother's ears bleed _._ She attributed it to her horrible squawking, in an early age she knew she was not the one to croon. Why else?

Yes, his ears literally bled,

Just like when that water serpent called out to her that dismal night and _cried_.

And the more she tried to remember, the more a steady ache crept into her heart… for now, the piercing cry sounded more and more like a song…

 _Home…_

She closed her eyes and wished. With all her heart she wished, such a bizarre realm this was, the confines of her imaginative mind.

 _I want to go home…_

 _This world… is nothing that I know of._

"Kagome?" Sango's voice brought her back to the present, and the blue-eyed woman's heart sank when she realized,

The winds still brought sighs and whispers from faraway lands,

And there were twelve moons in the star-flooded sky.

They had arrived at their destination.

"It's not much," Sango said. They set foot on a small acreage of land, a simple dwelling, a little bigger than the healer's hut. Traditional architecture, soaring beams, stone carvings of magnificent dogs, guarding post the torii gates. They walked forward, past old willow trees covered in moss, until they reached the dwelling. They took their shoes off and set foot on the wooden floor. The steady hands of Sango alit the gasless lamps with a touch as they passed. "I apologize for Miroku's behavior earlier. He was just anxious to check on our little one,"

Kagome paused, quite surprised. "Little one?"

"Well, if the Kamis permit… we have a little one, coming our way." The house was entirely quiet, their footfalls on the wood under their feet were the only sound resonating in the slowly revealing darkness. Sango touched another gasless lamp, the golden light flooding the entire room. It was then that the guest realized they had been walking through a hallway, and they finally arrived into a much larger quarter-

Kagome saw a closed shoji door, and her heart started beating restlessly.

"It's still growing…" Sango said with the warmest, most gentle smile she had ever seen, "But it's Kami's gift. Kagome, this is why we need all the good karma we can get."

The door slid gently open, and the blue-eyed woman stared, breathless.

* * *

In the middle of the house was a garden, and in the middle of a garden was a tree. A juvenile willow tree, quite different from all the willow trees she had seen, or ever will see,

The earth that it stood on was glistening,

The energy that was from its roots,

 _Thrummed._

Through a gentle, blue light from the earth, like a sweet, sweet lullaby of life, cradling, nourishing, towards the very tip was a large, sleeping bud-

The unopened petals, pulsing with god-given life,

Like a little heartbeat…

And the little ache that had been slowly creeping in Kagome became an intense throb.

 _ **"A child?" She laughed, "A child, littler than us? That sounds fun! We'll take care of her, and feed her, and dress her up in pretty clothes,"**_

 _ **"We'll love her forever," the boy with golden eyes said,**_

 _ **"Forever?" she echoed, watching the heavy shower of Sakura blossoms fall on the mirror-like lake,**_

 _ **"Yes… because if we have a littler inu, you'll stay with me forever, won't you?"**_

"Your children grow from seeds?" Kagome asked, each passing minute, bringing a painful reflection of the past.

"The lovers first vow eternity and evermore to each other, and they undergo this tedious ceremony where they synchronize their energy into one," Sango explained carefully. "After their vows, should they decide to conceive, they go through a selection process, and they are given a cistern of _fertile earth."_

"Fertile earth?" Kagome echoed, each breath, starting to be more painful than the last.

 ** _The girl was absolutely shaking, oh so familiar golden eyes fixed on her, wide and vulnerable and pleading,_**

 ** _"_** ** _You can't forget, how could you forget!" The tears that had started had never stopped, "You took a seed from the same Sakura tree where Papa came from, you planted it with him in the fertile earth…. you both made a wish during the Night of the Twelve Moons…_**

 ** _Mama, please remember me!"_**

"Fertile earth is believed to have come from the Holy Mountains of the Far East.

But we have an abundance ourselves, right here in Higher Hazakura. There is a river that is directly connected to the Mountains, it ends into a mirror-lake. The water from the lake… feeds the Sacred Sakura Forest.

Only those who possess Old Magic, or those endowed with the authority by the Castle in the Sky can walk those grounds. Anyone else will have their feet burned with every step.

Kagome, the hopeful couple, once given the fertile earth, makes a big decision. They take a seed, either from the man or the woman's root heritage, and plant it in the fertile earth.

From then on, it will be God's decision if he is to grant the lovers their prayers."

 ** _"_** ** _I don't know what my seed is, little puppy, I don't think I came from a plant, you see."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Then we'll plant mine." The golden-eyed boy held out a tiny kernel for her, and she smiled, as she reached out and held her hand over his._**

 ** _"_** ** _Are you in there, tiny inu?" she whispered to the seed, as the wind picked up a rain of blossoms. The Twelve Moons were especially bright that night, and the mirror lake, excessively still…_**

 ** _"_** ** _My only wish… is to get the chance to love you, as I do with this stubborn little puppy,"_**

 ** _The boy bashfully looked away and huffed,_**

 ** _And she smiled at him, "You will never be lonely, because I will love you forever." She promised, both to the tiny little seed and her vain but beautiful inu, and she gently coaxed his hands down, planting the seed underneath the warmth of the fertile earth._**

"Kagome… are you… alright?"

Under the whimsical dim of the twelve moons, a wet trail escaped from the edges of the blue-eyed woman's face,

And the quiet streak fell to the fertile earth,

Little drops so subtle it would have gone unnoticed to the untrained eye.

The wind fell quiet,

Everything else was oddly still.

It was her quiet sobbing that filled the solemn air, soft and gentle. Kagome knelt down and gathered the warm, fertile earth in her hands.

 _I feel so lost…_

 _I can't discern anymore… which memories are real or not…_

"Kagome?" Her companion asked again. And Kagome looked up to her, seeing the genuine concern in her eyes,

The wind picked up as if noticing her tears,

 _*You will find your way,*_

The little voices said,

 _*Pretty little traveler, if you only listen to your spirit,_

 _You will find your way.*_

Kagome looked at her companion yet again, trying to validate if the voice belonged to her. But Sango had not spoken, she had been waiting for her to answer the entire time.

And it was then that Kagome gathered herself. "Sango," She finally said, pulling away and wiping her tears. "I think I remember some things… but it may take some time to sort everything out."

Her companion nodded her head, assisting her back to her feet. The blue-eyed woman blinked, feeling the cool sensation from her tears gradually dry away from the comforting wind. She brought her gaze up to the star-saturated heavens.

"Sango," she continued quietly, "Where is this place that we are heading? Who is this master that we will serve?"

"There," Sango reached out, and she slowly pointed across the stars,

towards the august Castle suspended in the Sky.

"His father slayed the rampaging Blue-Maned Dragon, he is the only pure-blood heir to the Sakura Inu lineage. Kagome, our noble Master is the just and righteous deity that provides life-giving rain,

The Inu-Daiyoukai Sesshomaru,

Weather God of Higher Hazakura."

Kagome placed a hand quietly over her chest,

To calm her now raging heart.

 _If you only listen to your spirit,_

 _You will find your way._


	8. Chapter 8

_**Beyond the Wisteria Curtain**_

 _Chapter 8_

* * *

 _-Hazakura-_

The quiet rush of the passing wind sneaked into the window. It didn't quite make the rustle it wanted to, instead, as quiet as it went in, it quickly went away. Out into the untroubled garden of magnolias, the only place one could find solace in such a despondent setting.

The rickety floorboards of the old hospital creaked when he stepped in, and his heart dropped: his dear sister was still asleep, her eyes closed in an abnormal slumber, her hands, twitching once in a while,

She was either in pain,

Or she was in a dream.

A deep, fervent dream she could not seem to wake up from.

"You're back," His girlfriend greeted, and Souta, wiping the tears that fell unchecked from his eyes, nodded.

"Thank you for watching over her," He said, starting towards Souten's comforting form. She was seated by the open window, a canvas and easel before her, a palette on her hands.

"It's nothing," Souten answered, and he brushed up against her, and he kissed her cheek.

"They approved my two weeks leave," He started, "We don't have to take turns. I can watch over Kagome Onee-san—" the Captain of Hazakura police paused, and subtly, he trembled. The man in uniform tried to keep his shoulders straight, he tried to look away.

But the more he tried to hide it, the more it would show.

His tears ran down unchecked again.

"I just don't understand this…

The doctors said there wasn't any trauma to her head, her body…"

"Souta," the girl gently put her easel down and reached out to him, and she held him in her arms. "You need to get some rest-"

"How could I rest?" He buried his face deeper into her kimono, hiding his immense shame. "How could I rest… I have yet to get a full two hours of sleep. My sister is in a coma, and we don't know if she will wake, or just quietly slip away…"

She held her captain tighter, she led him to her chair. And he sat, as motioned, like a lost little boy, sobbing in her arms. She knew he was exhausted, he needed some sleep. Dark circles from fatigue had swallowed up his once handsome, vibrant face.

And so she allowed him to cry in her arms, for that was all she could do.

Her jaw clenched at a sudden passing thought,

 _Will I always be a silent audience to the people I hold most dear?_

Her hold to him tightened as her gaze passed her sleeping _Hime,_ and the memory of a distant, unforgettable night.

" _Calm your fears," the little hime said, as they stood under the darkening sky, "If something is meant to be, it will always find a way."_

"If something is meant to be, it will always find a way." She whispered reverently, and Souta lifted his head and looked at her.

"What did you say?"

"Souta, now that you have enough free time, why don't I tell you a story?" she wiped the tears away from his eyes, "You've always wanted me to tell you this."

"Your dream?" He answered, and she nodded,

"Yes."

Souten tilted her easel towards them, showing him the painting she had been working on. The Captain of Police's brown eyes widened.

"It's beautiful," he said, his breath spirited away. Delicate watercolor strokes, light, airy lines on the stark white canvas, one could not have imagined something so intricate and detailed to have come to life.

An illustration of a blue-maned dragon,

Beautiful, majestic, divine…

Breaking out so gracefully from the clouded heavens,

It had antler-like protrusions on its head,

and its white, snake-like body,

swirling down to the mouth of a mirror-like spring,

Where a faerie-woman reached out,

Her arms open in a venerated greeting.

"The fairy-woman, she looks kinda like you," Souta laughed softly, and the woman, seeing her beloved man smile, smiled in return. "And the dragon, something reminds me of the dragon…" Careful fingers ran across the fresh watercolor paint, tracing gingerly through the outline of the old-world guardian. He stopped when he reached the mythical creature's eyes, a fiery, impossible blue.

"My dream unfolds in a beautiful summit of a far away sierra, where, at the highest point, you can watch the sun rise and set on the Spirit Realm." Souten met his hand, and she held it close to hers, as they traced the outline of her fictional little characters together.

"This is called the Holy Mountain,

A sacred place where the heavens touch the earth,

A gateway to the realm of the immortal gods."

Souten paused and peered, and she softly smiled as her boyfriend's face brightened. Gone was the spirit of sorrow and grief, it was replaced by a momentary fascination, brought about by the story she had woven.

"The Holy Mountain is a place with pure, inviolable ground… all made of fertile earth, so vital to life. And because the grounds are holy, the gates leading to the Mountains are guarded by the _Dragon Candidate_ , and _Venerable Fairies of Old_."

"Dragon Candidate?" The young policeman leaned his head on hers in wonder, as he stared at her painting, running his fingers on the dark-haired faerie-woman who was surrounded by surges of powerful lightning. "Venerable Fairies of Old?"

"Dragon Candidates, one of the two types of dragons in my story. The Dragon Candidates are Sea Serpents, exalted by their two thousand years of noble deeds. There is only one chosen in every lifetime, and they are called upon to guard the Holy Mountain, together with a chosen lot of elemental Faeries, whose power and intentions are proven pure."

"What about the second kind of Dragon?" Souta said, and the woman led his hands softly towards the majestic, blue-maned myth.

"At the very peak of the Mountains rests a mirror-like spring, and right in the middle of the spring, the Ancient Ruins. A towering structure made of stone pillars, so high it seems to touch the twelve-moon sky. The great house is empty, by all means, and only held together by the faultless, incorruptible _Wisteria Vines._

This sacred plant is believed to be the closest organic thing to the higher gods… the Wisteria is where they whisper their wishes,

And sometimes when their wishes are very, very strong, a little bud is formed.

From that bud, a second type of dragon is born, a very special dragon, the _Traveler._

The kami's direct herald to mankind,

Emissary of their kindest, most urgent will."

"Traveler?" Souta echoed in wonder, his nostalgia creeping up to him, a distant memory of his nee-san as a child resurfacing.

"Traveler," Souten continued, "Because they are not of the Mortal Realm, nor of the Spirit. Because they are the messenger of the gods, they can pass freely, without restriction, to any realm they please without consequence,

Without losing a sliver of their essential spirit,

Retaining their power, their ancient magic, to hand over their message, delivered in the form of a _Song."_

"That's just beautiful," Souta looked at his girlfriend in wonder, how elaborate was this dream realm of hers.

"My story is seen through the eyes of a little storm-faerie, we will name her Souten, for convenience's sake," She gave her boyfriend a sly smile, from which he playfully pinched her nose, "One lonely, star-filled night, Souten stood witness as a silent audience, to two lovers who were parting ways:

A Traveler named Ryukotsusei,

And the Dragon Candidate Yume.

The Traveler was meant to descend into the Spirit Realm, to relay a message from the gods. His destination was the Floating Castle of Higher Hazakura,

A place far away from the Holy Mountains,

past the vast Sand Ocean, the Never-ending Fields of Alice.

It is a place where the Weather God dwells,

An entity tasked by the gods to guide the crystals that control the atmospheric conditions, and provide precious, life-giving rain."

She turned slightly, to the man who was leaning on his shoulder. His breathing was calm, and thus his heart alleviated. Tears were no longer in his eyes. He hummed softly for her to continue.

"Souta, before the Traveler left, he and his lover made a wish… one that was never granted ever before. They each took a strand of their hair and wove it together, whispered their impossible desire, and tied their intentions to the sacred Wisteria Vine:

They wished for a little Traveler,

An offspring of their own,

One that was special in every way.

You see, Souta, in the Spirit Realm, children are never reared from the womb. They all grow from seeds. And Travelers… they never start as saplings, for they come out of their buds in full spiritual and physical maturity.

The lovers knew their wish was impossible, but they still hoped.

And it was then that Ryukotsusei descended,

And the fair Yume waited.

She waited… and waited… for a very long time…"

There was a pause, and Souta softly shifted. "He never came back, did he?"

Souten shook her head. She pulled away from Souta, and she walked towards the open window, the afternoon breeze sifting her dark hair. "Ever since Ryukotsusei left, the Dragon Candidate Yume looked up to the twelve-moon sky and wondered, she lifted her intentions and prayed.

For her Traveler's safety, for his return,

Even though she knew, at that point, she would never see him again.

But one night, the stars were brighter than usual. The tranquil mirror-spring was restless, and the wind, it sang a different lullaby.

The sacred Wisteria thrummed with pulsing life.

Yume looked up. Right where she and Ryukotsusei tied the strands of their hair, a little bud was growing.

It was the bud of the child that they prayed for."

"The Kamis granted them their impossible wish," Souta smiled, he reached out to his sleeping sister and held her hand. "What was the little Traveler's name?"

"Kagome.

The little Traveler's name is Kagome."

* * *

 _-Higher Hazakura-_

She dreamed of towering stone pillars and a bed of wisteria, and around her, a mirror-like spring. Beyond the spring was a field of crystal flowers, chiming incessantly to the playful prod of the wind.

But she knew it was all a dream, and when she woke, she wished, with all her heart, not to awaken into another dream.

"When I open my eyes," she whispered to herself, terrified, "Please let me be home. Please…" she shut her eyes so tight she saw stars, "Please, please…" She took a tiny peek, and her heart dropped yet again.

Outside the window was a cloudless, twelve-mooned sky.

She was about to sigh in disappointment, but a sudden giggling caught her attention. Alarmed, Kagome sprang up from her futon and assumed what would possibly be the most pathetic defense pose in the world, and her eyes darted around the room, wary.

She found the culprit:

On the corner were little fuzzy balls, as black as soot, giddy and hopping excitedly about. They were yelped at her, wide-eyed, _curious._

"Huh?" Kagome gave them a quizzical look, and they looked back at her, almost as quizzically.

She approached them.

The little fuzzballs were stoked, bouncing in a frenzy at her attention. Three were brave enough to hop out of the pile and make their way hesitatingly towards her.

Kagome knelt, and slowly, she reached out her open palm. The fuzz hopped onto her hand, and carefully she held them close to her face, studying them in fascination. "Uhm… hello, what might you be?"

One of the fuzzballs jittered, and it let out, to her surprise, a small cloud of dust.

Kagome's nose wiggled, she took a sharp gasp.

Then a pregnant pause,

And she _sneezed._

She sent the little fuzzballs flying back to their pile, and the mischievous little spirits rolled atop each other in laughter.

"Well, excuse _me_ , you didn't have to-"

"Kagome? Who are you talking to?"

The blue-eyed woman sharply turned. Standing by the doorway was Sango, with a bewildered look on her face. "Oh, those little black fuzzballs…"

"Fuzzballs?"

Kagome paused, "They're right there-" she pointed to the corner, there they were, still giggling at her misfortune. Kagome turned again to Sango, and she faltered. "C-cant you see them?"

Sango blinked.

Kagome's confident hand withdrew, and an immense look of shame veiled her eyes.

 _Please don't tell me_

 _That I'm seeing things…_

A sudden look of recognition passed Sango's expression, and Kagome brightened up.

"You mean that pile of _dust_?" Her keeper had the look of immense embarrassment on her face.

"This room was used as storage for a long time," Sango suddenly explained, her cheeks were flushed, and it sent the blue-eyed woman to confusion. "I meant to clean it more thoroughly for you, but I didn't have time." Sango grabbed a broom from the corner and briskly swept the now trembling pile.

And just like that, the little fuzzballs turned into ordinary, lifeless dust.

"Oh," Kagome blanched.

 _Don't tell me…_

 _That even in this imaginary world,_

 _I am still… delusional…_

"I'm sorry…" she said, more softly now, "I didn't mean to say your house was unkempt-"

"It's okay, silly." Sango shrugged, still trying to negate her embarrassment away, "Breakfast is ready. When you're done, can you help me gather our laundry from the clothesline? After that, we can be on our way towards the Castle."

The blue-eyed woman rested a hand over her chest, to calm her restless heart. "Sure."

* * *

The blue-eyed woman shaded her eyes from the glaring sun with her hand, and she looked at the distant twelve-mooned sky. It was a cloudless day, the weather was beautiful, had been beautiful ever since she stepped foot in this strange place.

" _It's snowing in Hazakura right now," she said, and she held out her hand, trying to catch the falling cherry blossoms. "Why is it not snowing here?" she turned to her companion, the white Inu, who was laying on the grass beside her._

 _The little puppy reached out before him, mirroring her actions. "Because you are here," he simply said._

" _Silly puppy," she giggled, "What does that have to do with my being here?"_

" _I thought you liked spring?" He turned to her, his brows furrowed._

" _Well that doesn't mean I don't like snow too," she said, and she tilted her gaze towards him. His silence was making her worried. "Puppy?"_

" _I thought that you'd stay longer… if it was constantly spring…" He pondered deeply._

" _Would you rather it be snow?" He suddenly stood up, in a panic, "I can make it snow if you want, just give me a little time to adjust the crystals-"_

" _You'll change the weather?" She giggled, "Just because I said so?"_

 _The boy looked away, blushing. "If it makes you stay longer-" he muttered._

" _Silly puppy!" She rolled to her side and hugged him, laughing, "You don't have to!"_

A gust of wind passed her by, sending the linens on the clothesline into a flapping ruckus. She turned, to the direction of the wind, to the floating castle in the not-so-distant sky.

" _Don't go…" he said._

 _The light of the twelve moons was as bright as it had always been, the lonely golden light of her fish friend's lamp-rod was flickering softly above her._

" _I have to," she said, reaching out. "But I'll come back tomorrow. Puppy, why are you so worried?"_

 _The puppy, as stubborn as he always was, would normally avert his eyes. But this time was different, for he completely turned away, to hide his face in embarrassment._

 _"You promised to love me forever!" he pouted, and he whispered in his vain, innocent heartbreak, more to himself than to her: "Turns out I was the one who would end up doing so..."_

"I wonder," Kagome whispered, tucking her hair that was being sifted by the breeze, "If you're still the same puppy that I knew…" She slowly placed her hand above her chest, calming a curious feeling in her heart.

"I wonder what will happen… should we meet each other again…"

" _Even if one is not touched by the cruel hands of time, sixteen years will seem like forever... when you are waiting for someone you love." Said the old station master._

Another gust of wind suddenly blew, this time, stronger. She had to brace herself tightly, had to hold on to her loose clothing. She didn't want to flash anyone, if there ever was anyone around. "Oh!" she exclaimed, as a black item- her cloak that was left to dry on the clothesline- was blown away.

Away it went, and she ran, chasing it in vain.

Kagome stopped just by the edge of the clearing, before the bordering forest, in front of a towering willow tree. She tried to catch her breath. The blue-eyed woman looked up and gave out a sigh of disbelief.

The cloak was caught on the canopy, snagged on the highest branches.

"Great, Kagome," she muttered to herself, "Daydreaming your ass off again. Clumsy fool…" She looked around, and she shook her head. There was absolutely no way she could climb a twenty-foot tree. She couldn't throw a rock at it, she couldn't possibly ask Sango and Miroku to buy her another.

She knew they didn't have such luxury to dispense money so easily. They used a part of the stash that they saved for their child, just to buy her that enchanted cloak.

Then the wind calmed down, so did the rusting of the leaves. Everything was still again.

Kagome bit her lip, and she looked around.

She cleared her throat, twice,

And her eyes darted around again, making sure.

Yes, everything was still.

And there was no one,

Absolutely no one.

"Uhm, excuse me…" she started, hesitant, and her gaze drifted up. Up, towards the canopy, to the peeking sky in its gaps, to her stranded cloak. There was no movement. "Excuse me," she said, this time, a little louder.

The wind shifted, the leaves rustled.

And appearing before her eyes, like slowly rising mist, were tiny winged beings, scurrying about.

Ruffling the leaves,

Shoving the branches…

They stopped and looked at her, curious.

"If it's not a bother," Kagome hesitated, "Can I ask anyone of you to retrieve that cloak for me?" Kagome looked down, blushing profusely, realizing how stupid she probably looked,

talking to the wind.

 _There goes crazy Kagome again, talking to her imaginary friends._

She shook the traumatizing memories away. "Please? It's a gift, and it would be a shame to have lost it… You see, I'm lost myself… and—"

She need not explain any further. The little winged beings shifted, carefully untangling the cloth, so careful it would not rip, and they slowly descended, taking the cloak with them,

Placing it directly into the arms of the embarrassed woman.

"Thank you!" Kagome smiled, overjoyed. The winged beings smiled back, mirroring her elation, doing somersaults in the air. Playfully they circled her, reveling in her happiness, and she laughed, amused by their mischievous antics.

 _~You're pretty, I wish I could be as pretty as you!~_

 _~What is your name, pretty Traveler?~_

 _~Come and play with us for a while,~_

"Thank you, really," she started, her laughter still very much ringing, "But I can't stay. I have somewhere to go," she turned to point at the not-so-distant castle, "But I'll make sure I come back sometime to visi—" Kagome halted, dead on her tracks.

She froze on her spot.

Before her was a dumbstruck Sango, staring at her, slackjawed.

* * *

Their trip was saturated with silence, and it was only when they reached the bustling marketplace did Sango attempt to look at her. Kagome, chewing her lip furiously and holding her tongue back, was quite embarrassed. She never dared to bring the topic up.

The chatter of the many people created a steady hum in her ears, their variations in appearance, a welcome distraction for the mortified foreigner.

"Kagome," Sango started, and the blue-eyed woman's gaze immediately snapped up.

"I know, I'm kind of… weird," Kagome sputtered, preclusive. "But please, don't judge me by-"

"You can talk to the elements," Sango expressed in disbelief, more to herself than to her companion. Then the words slowly sank in, and she stopped dead on her tracks and faced Kagome in bewilderment. "You can talk to the elements." She repeated, a little more cautious.

Kagome halted. An impatient passerby brushed past her, shoving her to the side. Sango only pulled her by the entrance of a closed shop, away from the flow of pedestrian traffic. She shrugged, "I'm pretty sure a lot of people can,"

"No one can _see_ the elements, Kagome! Let alone _ask_ them to do something for them so casually!" Sango was hushed and wary, her eyes darting around for eavesdroppers. "Listen," she pulled Kagome close, "Even the old druids, well-versed with Arcane magic, need strong spells to get the faeries to do what they ask.

Even then they still can't be seen,"

Kagome only blinked back at Sango, and Sango only sighed.

"The Element Faeries, or any other Natural Sprites for that matter, live in a completely different plane of existence than us… so it's just not possible…" she braced her hands on Kagome's shoulders, "But you… you just… ask them to retrieve your snagged cloak from a tree as if they were your next-door neighbor."

"Is that…" Kagome quietly said, her shame creeping into her confidence again, "Is that something I should worry about…?"

"What are you talking about, silly!" Sango shook her hard, "Your deer-brain clouding your logic again?!" She realized her loud tone, and rather demeaning insult, she brought her voice down into a whisper. "That ability… it's unbelievable, Kagome." She stared into her eyes,

And she smiled.

"I've never seen anything like it."

Slowly, ever so gradually, her friend's elation brought a sense of relief to Kagome's face. To be accepted, to be deemed special, and not aberrant and frowned upon…

And the blue-eyed woman smiled.

This strange land with the twelve-moon sky… suddenly didn't feel as terrifying as it really was.

"Kagome, let's stay on the safe side. Don't tell anyone about this just yet," Sango whispered. "Your ability is unique. There is no telling how people could react,"

Kagome nodded her head.

"I just want you to be safe, ne?" Sango reasoned, "As much as there are people like me and my groom, there are also people who are like the old couple we encountered at the border,"

"I understand." Kagome said, "And thank you… you've been nothing but kind to me,"

"Hey, its nothing." Sango released her, and she tapped Kagome's cheek. "Little deer, I need all the good karma I can get, remember?"

* * *

 _-Hazakura-_

"Kagome," Souta smiled, holding his sister's hand tight, "That's a familiar name." He heard his fiancée laugh softly. "I bet she was a beautiful Traveler,"

"The most beautiful Traveler the Venerable Faeries had ever seen." Souten gently raked her fingers through her captain's hair, soothing his worries, melting his unrest. "She was special… and the odd thing was, she inherited her father's song.

Souten wished Kagome's mother could have seen her."

"Why?" Souta mumbled, falling into a lull from her gentle attentions, "Wasn't she there when Kagome's bud opened?"

"No, she wasn't." The Miko answered softly. "She wasn't there when her child's bud opened, she wasn't there when Kagome spoke her first words, or sing her first song…

Yume disappeared, you see, right before Kagome was born. Vanished without a trace."

* * *

 _-Higher Hazakura-_

"Ehh, so it's used as medicine?" Kagome exclaimed in bewilderment. On their way to the castle, they stopped by a medicinal stall that had quite the bizarre displays. Bottled roots, heaps of glittering powder, odd-smelling concoctions.

The most expensive item on display was a brown, ground-up substance that at first the blue-eyed woman thought was dirt.

"The strongest purifying agent there is." Sango graciously answered. She lifted a little vial before Kagome's muted eyes, "You mix this with whatever medicinal agent, solid or liquid. It purifies out any auxiliary properties and magnifies the remedial."

Kagome shook the bottle, in awe. "What you get is a potent, undiluted form of the medicine," she concluded, "Amazing!"

"It's also a staple for quality spells." Sango gently took the vial out of Kagome's hands, and carefully placed it back on the table, "But it's impossibly expensive. Every gram is precious."

The blue-eyed woman frowned behind her mask, "Well it should be, especially if someone has to go through pain and inexplicable torture-"

Sango shook her head. "That's not the reason. Deer antlers have been harvested since the beginning of time, without any consequence to the source. Just like… cutting one's hair, or, trimming one's claws..." Sango looked at her masked friend pensively. "It's normally a painless process. And the antlers do grow back after two seasons.

That is why,

I thought it was extremely odd when that old man began sawing through your antlers.

There shouldn't have been pain,

Or blood…"

There was a flock of pink-haired ladies passing by, leaving behind a trail of cherry blossoms on their wake. Little toad-children hopping about and laughing, and a long stretch of silence, as the two tried to process their conversation.

"Anyway," Sango shook the silence off, "Unauthorized breeding and harvesting of the deer youkai's horns have been banned by the Weather God, when he assumed command to the Castle in the Sky." She started walking, her cloaked companion silently following her lead. "No offense to you, Kagome… but deer youkai are…" she cleared her throat, hesitating, "Deer are known to be dumb.

Notoriously dumb.

And gullible. And so those poor creatures were either tricked into giving up their antlers for less than what it was really worth, or rich families would enslave them, creating private menageries.

But the Weather god, Our Noble Master Sesshomaru stopped the practice, at one point. He outlawed the so-called 'ownership', and those who dared to defy his word was given a heavy punishment.

It drove the once common commodity into rarity, hence driving the prices up."

Sango looked in uncertainty, as her companion quietly put her hand over her chest… was she calming her heart? She wouldn't know, she could not see behind the enchanted mask.

"Why would the Weather god want to protect dumb little deers?" the foreigner asked softly.

"We don't really know," Sango's voice dropped into a low, audible murmur, "But rumors come and go… and the rumor that never really left was about Lady Rin's origins."

"Lady Rin?" The cloaked woman's fist, somehow, clenched tighter.

"Lord Sesshomaru's daughter." This time, Sango's voice was barely a whisper. "They say her mother was a deer youkai.

Imagine the scandal and shame, a pedigree Sakura Inu,

heartbroken over a lowly, hapless deer?

But that would explain why the subject of Rin's mother is never really mentioned in the castle,

That would also explain his odd overprotectiveness with the deer folk." She shrugged,

"But hey, rumors are rumors.

No way the gifted Lady Rin is related to a deer!

And the Master, he doesn't seem to be moping around over a little fawn. Many princesses and Noble ladies reside in the castle, from far and wide, waiting to be chosen to be his bride.

And he is pretty close to choosing one, I heard."

The noise of the bustling market didn't really outweigh the silence that fell on her now quiet companion. Peddlers were declaring their items for sale, drunk men were playing a board game in the tables of an outdoor tavern,

But Kagome stood, in the middle of it all, quite unmoving.

"Kagome?" Sango slowly reached out, and the direction of Kagome's face settled on her.

"Sango," Kagome suddenly said, "If you truly, unquestionably love someone, and they disappear for a very long time… what will you do?"

* * *

Between the empty smile of her companion's mask and the break in her voice, it was so hard to tell what she was thinking. She would have answered, no matter how out of topic the question was. Her naïve little deer friend, she came to accept, was a strange little girl, breaking through the norms and expectations since the day they met.

Only because she was caught off guard with the sudden random question, was why she had to stop and think.

But there was a sudden rustle on their side, and something pulled on her sleeve. Distracted, her attention snapped towards the source: it was Kirara, her husband's _nekomata_ , and it meowed urgently. "Good thing you found me," she turned to her companion, "Kagome, Miroku asks that we ascend to the castle now, Master Sesshomaru has arrived from his campaign in the Far East."

"Oh," the concealed woman managed,

Sango shook her head and grabbed Kagome's wrists. "Let's hurry," she said, mounting on the now transformed cat. She giggled as she watched her companion scramble clumsily behind her, she was clearly inexperienced. "Silly girl."

* * *

 _-Hazakura-_

"That's… heartbreaking…" Souta slurred, falling into much-needed somnolence. But he wanted to hear the rest of the story, he was fighting off his sleep.

"Indeed, it was such a tragic sight," Souten said, "The little Traveler, waiting for her mother and father to come home,

she waited, for a very long time she waited… listening to the murmurs of the wind,

reading the patterns of the star-saturated skies.

until one day,

She told the Faeries she couldn't wait anymore."

"What happened?" Her fiance's weight fell heavier, "Did Kagome stop waiting?"

"No," Souten smiled gently, and she touched his exhausted face, "If you truly, unquestionably love someone, and they disappear for a very long time, what do you do?

Do you just sit there and let time consume you? Do you move on with your life?

Or do you leave the comfort of the world you've known,

Just to find out the fate of the one you proclaim to love?"

"I would… look for you," Souta's breathing steadied, "I won't ever stop… until I find you…

Until I can ask you, face to face… why…" His breathing steadied, and there was a long silence that followed. Souta had finally fallen asleep.

Souten's gaze fell on the sleeping woman, and she watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. Lashes fluttering every now and then, a twitch to her limbs…

Trapped in an unreachable realm of her mind.

"Hime," she whispered, "Wherever you are, please… be safe."

* * *

 _-Higher Hazakura-_

It was grander than anything else she would have ever dreamed of. The moment they entered the torii gates, they even had to climb what seemed like endless steps, until they finally reached a traditional _estate_. She scanned, in awe, at the many traditional houses- magnificent and truly breathtaking it was- that were scattered around the perimeter. It was a quaint little town in itself.

They passed by a garden, through a complex, dizzying flower maze, the different scents intoxicating, the different colors, spellbinding. It was quite the disorienting labyrinth to navigate, but Sango was able to do so with such ease.

They emerged from the garden and headed towards the largest structure, where the pillars were exquisite carvings themselves, and the ceilings were high and towering, almost touching the star-saturated sky.

"This is the Weather Tower," Sango pointed out, as they stood under the light of the twelve moons.

"Beautiful," Kagome said, unable to tear her eyes away.

"This is where the Weather God and his family dwell. I'm one of the most trusted attendants here," She announced proudly. She turned to her side, Kagome had been silent the whole time.

Sango couldn't help but smile, thinking of her friend's awestruck expression that was probably behind her mask.

Barely giving her companion the chance to catch her breath, Sango pulled her as they hastened.

They didn't enter the grand doors. They went past the side, and a long walk it was until they reached a back door. Sango felt her friend's hesitation as they entered, indeed, it was quite a chaotic scene.

People and creatures, scurrying about, yelling at each other, running around with pots of dangerously boiling liquid, scaly men with odd-shaped hats and white coats wielding knives and cleavers, beautiful nymph-like ladies carrying silks and linens on their fragile hands. They seemed busy,

So busy it was a miracle they weren't crashing against each other.

"Uh…" Kagome sputtered, at a loss.

"Master Sesshomaru and the Druids just arrived from the Far East," Sango supplied, "It's dinner time, so this is a normal occurrence. Kagome, just stick with me and—"

"Where the hell have you been?! Why are you this LATE?" A loud voice boomed, and Kagome jumped at the mere volume. With her hears still ringing she searched for the source but she couldn't seem to find it, everyone was just scrambling about, not them paying attention. "Answer me!"

"Myoga-sama," Sango laughed nervously, "I was just showing my cousin around-"

Kagome's eyes widened. Standing on Sango's shoulder was an old flea demon, absolutely red with ire, jumping about in fury. "Well the tour's over, missy, get your lazy ass back to work! Aya! Ayaaaa! I found her!" He called out, his voice grating against Kagome's ears.

It was then that an old fox demon approached. "Sango! There you are!" She seized Sango's hands, pulling her away, "Didn't I tell you to come back a day early? Now we have to rush with the preparations-"

"W-wait!" Kagome cried out quite desperately, seeing her only safety wall being dragged away.

"You'll be okay, just follow whatever Myoga-sama tells you to do-" Was Sango's last parting words, before she disappeared into the chaos of people.

Her brows furrowed, "F-follow Myoga-sama's directions?" she pondered, when something shifted on her skin.

She jumped.

It took all the willpower she had not to flick the flea-demon off her shoulder. "What are you-"

Myoga struck him with his tiny cane, and Kagome had to admit, it was quite painful she actually _winced_. "New girl! What are you standing here idle for? The attendants need help!" One of the nymph-like ladies approached, and the flea demon moved to her shoulders and motioned. "She's not doing anything. She can go."

"Thank you," the nymph graciously expressed, handing Kagome a pile of neatly folded yukatas. "Your help really means a lot."

"What am I supposed to do with this?!"

"Just leave it by Lady Rin's bed, she won't be in it, not at least until after dinner. On the second landing, the third one to the right by the lifts. Don't forget!" She bowed hastily, and just like that, she ran away.

The masked woman stood there, dumbfounded.

* * *

She ran her hands through the wooden carvings, the delicate pottery that lined the halls. In one side were doors,

On the other, grand windows that opened up to the star-riddled sky.

The blue-eyed woman paused, and she leaned over slightly. She realized, the so-called weather tower they were in, was situated at the edge of the floating island, and directly over the protective windows was the breathtaking view of the lower lands.

The town of Higher Hazakura, looking like a small mirage, a sparkling ocean. Beyond the darkness shone the blinking lights from a neighboring world.

Clouds in her midst were passing by, the twelve moons were quietly watching. Kagome reached out to the distant stars, and she let out a sigh of wonder. She felt as if she was truly floating in the sky.

 _~She's back,~_

A faint voice, carried from the distant wind sang,

 _~Our little traveler is back…~_

She heard sniffling. It was hard to discern between the random murmurs of the wind, and the unfamiliar sounds around her, but there was indeed a faint sobbing, coming from one of the rooms.

 _On the second landing, the third one to the right by the lifts._

Kagome remembered, holding the silk yukata tight, and she realized…

The soft crying was from Rin's room.

The door was closed, the wind was aptly still. Kagome slowly padded towards the chambers, and she pressed her ears carefully against the wooden panels.

"Why did you have to propose marriage to that… that wind youkai?!" Rin's unmistakable voice cried out.

"It's beneficial for Higher Hazakura." A stern voice answered, a grown man.

An ache crept into Kagome's heart, and she had to physically put her hand over her heart to try to calm it down.

"You sound like one of those heartless Druids!"

"Rin-"

"She's come back," Rin sobbed, "I saw her with my own eyes! She's all grown up… just like you,"

She cried, "And she's become so beautiful… you should have seen her, Mama was so beautiful-"

"Rin, I told you to stop pining over that useless-"

"You say that!" She wailed, "You say that, but didn't you go to the Sakura Forest last week? You went to the abandoned well, didn't you? You went to check if what I said was true… that the wisteria was growing back again… that the portal was being used-"

"How many times have I told you, she is never coming back!"

"Papa-"

"And if she ever will, I will throw that woman out of the castle, I will banish her from Higher Hazakura."

Kagome reeled, blue eyes wide in conflicting, confusing emotions. At her daughter's desperation, at the Inu's anger…

"You will NOT mention your mother,

or _anything_ about her, in the premise of my castle.

How many times have I told you not to cross the mirror lake? You're risking your life doing that- let alone crossing the barrier to the Mortal Realm! Do you want to die before—"

"I'd rather die than see you promise Evermore to that woman!" She screamed, and soft footfalls scrambled towards the door. Kagome pulled back just in time for the panels to open, and she was met face to face with tortured, golden eyes.

It was heartbreaking, seeing such a beautiful face twisted with sorrow,

and the tears that fell were overwhelming.

Rin was sobbing, confused,

And she pushed Kagome away, breaking into a run.

Kagome reached out, about to chase after her daughter,

when a dominating presence hovered from behind.

"What are you doing here?" came the question. His tone was severe and intimidating, and Kagome found herself holding the yukata tightly to her chest. She was unable to move, the ache in her heart suddenly became unbearable.

"Servant." He interrogated.

Still, no answer.

Then the wind softly murmured its encouragement, the waves from the distant ocean below, sighed.

Kagome took a deep breath, and she turned around.

She had to look up, because she realized:

Under the guidance of the star-saturated sky, touched by the ethereal light of the twelve eternal moons,

Her little puppy had grown,

And such a beautiful sight was he.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Beyond the Wisteria Curtain**_

 _Chapter 9_

* * *

 _-Hazakura-_

"How is she?" the brown-haired doctor said in painful longing, reaching out in hopes of slight contact with the woman he loved since he was a child.

The Miko that was seated by her bedside flinched. Seeing her temporary guardian hesitate, he halted his actions, a veil of sadness falling over his eyes.

"I won't hurt her," Hojo said, "You know I'd do anything for her."

Souten tightened her grip to the sleeping woman's hand, and for a moment she pondered. The slowly she shifted, and finally, moved away.

The young doctor released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He approached the sleeping woman, and he knelt by her bedside. He stayed that way for what seemed like forever, quietly watching the steady rise and fall of her chest, the occasional fluttering of her eyelashes, the once-in-a-while twitch to her limbs.

Hojo dropped his head gently, softly touching his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "Kagome," he whispered, "Don't slip away from me like this," quiet tears streaking down his cheeks. "Wake up soon. Please…" the young doctor opened his eyes and pulled away, not even bothering to wipe the shameful tears on his face. He dipped down once more and kissed her forehead, something he would always do so often it had almost become routine.

"Akitoki-san." A newcomer cut in from the open doorway, and Hojo turned around to see the looming figure of Kagome's brother, the Captain of Hazakura Police. He had two take-out boxes in his hands, lunch, most probably, and so Hojo turned away from the man and looked at the clock.

Indeed it was noon. Time passed by so oddly in sleepy Hazakura.

"Souta-chan," he answered, rising from his knees and turned completely to the captain. "Just dropped by to see how she was doing." He passed one last look at the sleeping woman, the pain in his eyes inherently present.

"Still the same," Souta strode forward, brushing past the doctor and greeting his fiancée with a kiss to the cheek. "Her vitals are stable, however the hospitalist said her ECGs were showing increased activity…"

"It's good," Hojo said, never breaking eye contact with the captain. "We wouldn't want her brain to exhaust itself from such abnormal spikes in activity… but at this point, it does not matter. As long as she's still thriving, everything's good."

Souta nodded, quietly agreeing.

A long silence passed them both.

"Are you going back to Tokyo anytime soon?" Souta finally asked.

"No," Hojo said, letting out an exhausted sigh. "I'm part of your sister's medical team, Souta-chan." He gave the captain a sidelong look. "Her hospitalist took me in as her critical care consultant. I'll be here, at least until the new medication I had the hospital order from Germany arrives."

"She was your father's trial subject before, I won't allow that to happen again—"

"The research took a total of 45 years for development, its effects and side effects were tested on both animals and humans." Hojo's tone was severe. "The long-term effects had also been looked into. Souta-chan, the medication has been approved by the boards of 95 countries, it's considered one of the best breakthroughs in modern medicine." His exhausted weariness turned into a look of warning. "She was never father's trial subject. He treated her as his daughter. As for me…" his piercing glare settled on the captain,

"I never step over the ridiculous limits you set up, because I know you're coming from a place of concern. Since you are her family, I try my best to respect that. So as much as I respect you, at least spare me a small ounce of dignity." The doctor straightened his tie, he wiped the trail of his dried tears from earlier. Stalking towards the door he paused.

"Souta-chan… don't go on insulting my intentions for her.

I loved Kagome since I was a child.

And that has never changed."

He softly closed the door behind him, leaving the couple in a quiet moment of contemplation.

* * *

 _-Higher Hazakura-_

The whispered anticipation of the wind, trickling into her skin,

The abnormally erratic twinkling of the night sky…

Higher Hazakura, The Floating Castle, and the eternal Twelve Moons, all wonderfully magical, a whimsical fairytale her mind could not have possibly made up, but nothing could compare to the sight that was before her: It whisked her breath away.

" _Puppy,"_ she whispered, so soft that only she could possibly hear. Or was it her heart that cried out? In that instant she was transported to that forgotten time, sixteen years ago when she first saw him, peering at her in curiosity across the mirror lake.

It had been so long,

She realized that she almost forgot the feeling.

She almost forgot why every day she would come back to this strange place, despite her mother's tears, despite the intense bullying at school. And him standing before her, at this moment suspended in time, was a cruel reminder to why she could never seem to forget:

The moment she saw him, she loved him.

Loved him with all that her little child's heart could give.

As plain and simple as that.

The ache in her heart rose to staggering levels, unable to control herself, she slowly reached out.

"Sesshomaru?" A newcomer interrupted.

Suddenly the wind shifted direction, giving Kagome a chance to catch her breath. Breath that she would need, as she saw a dainty hand settle on her grown-up puppy's chest. The dainty hands slid down to his waist, the stranger's arms, snaked around possessively, holding the glowering Weather God back.

"New Servant?" the newcomer asked. An exquisitely beautiful woman, with inky black hair and piercing scarlet eyes.

 _His betrothed._ The wind helpfully sighed as it rushed out of the open hallways, towards the open ocean. Much like the breath of renewed love that escaped her soul.

"Servant." The Weather God demanded, and immediately the emotions Kagome felt had swelled inside her slowly recede… ebbing down into a trickle of heartbreak.

" _Look for me," she said, "If that time ever comes, that means I cannot get to you, even if I tried to. Little puppy, look hard and don't stop until you find me._

 _I will always come to you when I see you._

 _I promise I will never forget you."_

All those years, she never really formed intimate friendships.

Even as she tried to convince herself of her illness, she would always find herself looking back.

In the deepest chambers of her heart, she always held that secret hope that maybe… just maybe,

She would catch a glimpse of white hair and golden eyes,

Running towards her,

Asking her to come back.

 _But I never did. He never came for me._

 _Then all that he promised me back then…_

 _were just the empty words of a child._

The love that had built, condensed over the years, cowered. Back into fear and insecurity, back into the sickening void of doubt. She watched quietly as her puppy leaned down towards the beautiful woman, and whispered soft, gentle words of reassurance.

" _I will throw that woman out of the castle, I will banish her from Higher Hazakura!"_

Then the blue-eyed woman saw the image of her heartbroken daughter, crying before her. And it was then that Kagome stepped back, bowing her head low and presenting to them the yukata on her hands.

They understood immediately, and Kagome walked past them with her head bowed low, blinded by the tears that were burning her eyes,

Drowning,

From the confusing, frustrating emotions ringing in her soul.

* * *

"The Weather God… is he a kind spirit?" Kagome asked. They were at the terrace of the servant's quarters, staring into the star-riddled sky. She reached out, and she smiled… a firefly drifted into the palm of her hand. She cradled it close to her heart.

"He's quite stoic," Sango answered, "But he is fair and righteous. Quite the troublemaker, I heard, when he was a little boy. He would sneak out of the castle, right under his guardian's gaze. Only Kami knows what mischief he was doing."

Kagome allowed herself to laugh.

"Mischief indeed," Sango continued, as she opened her palm to receive Kagome's firefly. It only lingered for a moment, but it eventually drifted away, blending into the night. "One day he came back with a sapling in his hands… his daughter. Imagine the sight?! A little boy, introducing his growing daughter?!

What a scandal it was, such a shock. To the Druids, to his groomers,

Everyone in Higher Hazakura.

That was how Rin was brought into the world. But Master Sesshomaru never talked about Rin's mother, not even one mention. And with the events that happened after that, he never was the same, ever since then." Sango fell quiet for a while.

"What do you mean?"

"The Master Sesshomaru, right after the scandal, held the appearance of a young boy. But to grow into physical maturity so fast at such a short amount of time?"

"He forced himself to grow up…" Kagome whispered in realization.

"He needed to be a figure mature enough to command. He needed to be someone his daughter would look up to. A lot of pressure was yoked on his shoulders." She turned to Kagome, "He may have lived in a sheltered keep, but the young master's life was not easy.

And there was the illness…"

Sango felt her companion tremble, and she paused, waiting for her friend so say something, anything. But Kagome remained unmoving, her bone-white mask staring directly into the twelve moons.

"The future Weather God had fallen ill. He caught what his ancestors called Broken Heart Affliction,"

"Broken _what_?" Kagome finally sputtered, sounding appalled. She tore her gaze from the twelve-moon sky to look at her, but Sango kept a straight face.

"Broken Heart Affliction," Sango stated, raising a brow as if it were a fact that Kagome should have known. "It's a rare illness and a known vulnerability to Sakura Inus. When they experience an unbearable amount of grief, they fall extremely ill.

The Druids were in a panic.

They tried to summon Rin's mother, sent out missives to the Far Realms in search of her. But in the end, she never presented herself."

Kagome's clutch to her yukata tightened,

"And so everyone concluded that the child, or woman, or whoever she was, was an infiltrate from another malicious realm, sent to gain the future Weather God's trust… and eventually, cause the young master's untimely death."

"That's not true!" Kagome sprang up, seizing her hand. "That's just not true…" she whispered, and Sango halted.

Gently she reached out, and she took her friend's mask away.

* * *

Keeled over and stifling back her sobs, the pattering of her tears to the wooden floor from her face, Sango's heart immediately broke, the moment she saw her strange friend crying. "Kagome?" she reached out, tilting her friend's beautiful face towards her, blue eyes brimming with tears.

"I was trapped in a place where I couldn't reach him, I was brainwashed into believing all that happened wasn't true." Kagome's fingers dug into her skin in restrained desperation, "Sango, everything's still so confusing, I need to sort things out… but he needs to know the truth," she shook her head in desperation, "It's such a train wreck, I want to hurt myself, just to wake up from this… this _mess_ that I stepped into…"

Sango could only gasp softly at the realization,

Everything was slowly falling into place.

"You're Rin's mother," Sango whispered, and it took her a while to process the thought. "Kagome,"

"I need to tell him, Sango. I need to tell him now,

But what if he'll send me away? What if he won't believe me? And you…" Kagome trailed softly, shutting her eyes tight. And then she softly quavered, "Do you even believe me? Because I… don't even believe in myself."

"Kagome," Sango held her friend, "I believe you…" she whispered, "I believe you…"

"He hates me," Kagome said, barely enough for any of them to hear. "But that's because he doesn't know."

"Kagome, I hate to tell you this but…" She pulled away, her eyes locking onto hers, "The druids proposed, for having almost taken his life away, the instant execution of Rin's mother, you, if ever you were located."

Kagome fell dead silent.

"But the Weather God appealed. Yet he made it very clear that he did not want to have anything to do with you… So Master Sesshomaru's first canon was for you to never to come close to him or Lady Rin; he ruled for your immediate banishment, the moment of your first sighting."

The blue-eyed woman faltered, she let out an exhausted sigh. She buried her face in the palm of her hands. "I need some time to think, Sango…"

Sango gently shook her head, "I don't think this is something we have to rush," she wrapped her friend in her arms, leaning her head on Kagome's shoulder.

"I need some time to think." Her blue-eyed friend quieted, as she gently leaned back.

The stars were slowly receding, the warm light of daytime washed the pale faces of the twelve moons. A sparkling blue ocean stretched as far as the eye could see.

Daytime finally took over Higher Hazakura,

The realm of intentionally perpetual spring.

* * *

 _-Hazakura-_

"Travelers are not bound to mortal time, they are created through the kami's wishes. And so the fibers of their soul are unbreakable, they share the lifespan of the immortal." Souten poured some coffee into her fiance's cup, the steam rising towards his exhausted face. "They are not influenced by the passage of time, Souta. So when I said that the Traveler Kagome waited for a long time, that would mean a very, very long time…"

Souta reached out and brushed his sister's hair that got displaced by the wind. Kagome's lashes fluttered briefly,

And now, more often than ever,

A stray drop of tear trickled down her closed eyes.

He looked away, clenching his jaw in restraint. It was difficult to see her like this, how he missed her carefree laughter, her absurd humor. "What made her finally go?"

It was Souten who leaned over and wiped Kagome's tears. "It was only when the Storm faerie Souten told her a secret, one that she could not keep, did Kagome decide to descend.

Yume actually left word, for Souten was the one she trusted the most: the Dragon Candidate did not disappear without purpose."

"What was her purpose?" The Captain of Police asked, holding his near-empty coffee cup for her to fill.

The Miko quietly poured him more.

* * *

 _-Higher Hazakura-_

Dawn gave way to morning, then morning gave way to the sweltering noon. The flowers were feverish from the never-ending cycle of bloom, and it was at this point in spring where the flower buds had barely said hello.

The garden, along with the towering, impossibly perplexing flower maze was mostly blanketed with the color of green. The little buds were quite stubborn, it looked like it would be a while before they would decide to open up to Higher Hazakura and poise their lovely petals for everyone else to see.

It was at this moment in the high-lit noon did Kagome try to find solace from the chaotic bustle of the backstage of the Castle in the Sky.

"I barely slept," she murmured to the mist faerie beside her. The little sprite was on its way up to hide in the shade of a notoriously inconsiderate Magnolia tree- infamous for its reputation of selfishly hiding its flowers until the very end of the never-ending spring cycle- when it spotted Kagome seated on one of its branches.

The mist faerie decided to rest on the woman's shoulders instead.

The little sprite looked up at her in concern.

 _Is something bothering you, pretty traveler?_

"I don't know what to think at this point…" Kagome stretched her sore muscles, making sure she was still hidden by the trunk of the old, reputably selfish, Magnolia tree. A good hiding place, for sure it was. She looked around her.

Unopened buds were scattered, diffused around the flower garden, yet this certain tree didn't even display any buds at all.

What a vain tree it was, indeed.

 _Then what are you thinking about?_

The curious little sprite huddled closer, and Kagome couldn't help but release a sigh.

The blue-eyed woman massaged her aching shoulders. She was not used to physical labor, yet the Castle staff had been piling tasks upon tasks on her. Everyone was in a frenzied mood. There was a big event to be held a few days from now, and so all able-bodied people in the castle had to work extra-hard and over-time:

It was the Weather God's engagement to the Princess of the Northern Borders. A big event, considering that the Nobles and leaders from the Far Realms were to attend the lavish, much-anticipated ceremony.

Kagome clutched her hand over her heart, calming the ache that was yet again rising.

 _Traveler?_

The faerie trembled, refusing to be ignored.

"I don't know, little faerie. If you were in my place, how would you feel?"

 _How would I feel?_

The faerie tilted its head in adorable, innocent confusion.

 _How would I know, if you don't tell me what you're thinking?_

Kagome seemed to pause, and she pondered for a bit. This time, wind faeries had already settled around her to join in on the conversation, prodding the branches of the Magnolia in a gentle, lulling sway. They even caught the attention of the tree itself, as it curled its branches ever so slightly, cradling Kagome from a potential fall… just so she could continue.

And the blue-eyed woman gasped softly. The faeries were bringing her fully bloomed flowers, those light enough to be carried by the wind. A little offering, for her to continue her idle talk. It collected on her lap, such a beautiful variety,

And so Kagome started to weave the flowers, reminiscent of those forgotten days so many years ago. It had been so long, yet her hands still held its memory, for in no time the flower weave was slowly turning into a rich flower crown.

"This little boy, he made me promise my forever… and he promised me his." Kagome's cheeks flushed slightly red, as she continued to weave idly. "It's not that I'm in love with him or anything, we were children!

But … it's kind of painful… knowing that he made such empty promises,

While I… I took those meaningless words seriously,

With the faith of an innocent child."

The faeries sighed. The tree's branches drooped. Kagome shook her head, attempting to rid herself of such depressing, ridiculous thoughts. She ended up settling her gaze to the cloudless, twelve-moon sky.

"I don't know how I should feel. This place…" she whispered, "It's terrifying, don't you think? I still can't believe this is happening."

The wind-faeries stirred in unrest, the mist sprite fidgeted in alarm. Someone was running towards the old Magnolia tree, and the familiar presence made Kagome stop what she was doing. She peered down, careful not to rustle the branches, wary to keep herself concealed.

The most familiar presence clad in white and red kimono was catching her breath, hiding from her hawk-like guardians from the back of the old Magnolia tree.

"Rin," Kagome whispered to herself, and her heart sank when she realized Rin's pauses of breath were not merely from her attempt to escape.

Rin was crying again, cursing softly to the wind.

"Stupid wind princess," the girl muttered, "You can't fool me with your fake concern. So stupid!" She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, like the child she had so painstakingly pretended she was not. "I'll never call you mother!"

Kagome's gaze softened. She listened quietly as the girl, her dear daughter, continued to sob in hiding.

The wind faeries stirred yet again, the mist sprite looked up at Kagome in curiosity. And Kagome, in turn, shifted from her position.

"Will you help me cheer my daughter up?" she beseeched.

The wind-faeries jittered.

The barely-there Magnolia buds proliferated,

and in a sudden blink of an eye, everything _bloomed_ around her.

Kagome smiled. She reached out, and gently shook the branches.

* * *

He knew she was upset. What else could be the main reason for her tantrums? It was either her mother's absence, or this newfound bane-of-his-existence: her father's engagement to the Youkai Princess.

The Wind Youkai callously told her to get used to calling her 'mother' from now on, and of course, as predicted, the Lady Rin burst into one of her infamous tempers and stormed off to hide.

Lady Rin's presence was not detected in the castle. So she was most probably crying, huddled underneath a large bush, or hiding behind the safety of the old, selfish Magnolia tree.

The young, five-tailed kitsune who looked about the same age as his Lady sniffed the air, and he frowned. There was the scent of his Lady's tears, wafting from the rise and fall, the push-and-pull of the unpredictable wind.

But his eyes widened marginally: a new scent, most unexpected, came subtly trickling in:

The scent of Magnolia blossoms,

From the vain, inconsiderate Magnolia tree.

He instantly concealed his presence, his five fox-tails flicked. He inched secretly towards the perimeter of his charge, and he saw it: above the crying Lady of the Castle, perched on one of the Magnolia's fully preened branches was that weird new servant that Sango and Miroku had brought in.

Bone-pale mask, empty smile, form concealed with a gloriously bland grey cloak and hood…

But the hands that were holding the branches looked so painfully familiar, as she shook the uncharacteristically generous tree, sending a rain of white petals on the distraught Lady's form.

Lady Rin stopped crying. She looked around her, confused by the sudden petal blitz.

A distant memory immediately seized him, one of when he was still a freshly-summoned soul, willed back to life as a quiet little fox-plush with that single tear to his right ear:

 _The child with blue eyes laughed happily, showering them with a rain of blush-pink petals that she gathered from the sakura-blossom covered ground._

 _His helpless, immobile self slid down from the mound of fertile earth, falling flat on the dirt. But the child picked him up and carefully repositioned him,_

 _The child leaned close and whispered, ever so urgently, amid the shower of blush pink hue: "Underneath that bed of earth sleeps the ardent wish of a girl and her selfish little puppy. It's a tiny Sakura Inu. Guard her with all you've got, 'kay?"_

Lady Rin's golden eyes turned from confused to awestruck. Her gaze snapped up to the canopy of the towering tree. She found it empty… there was no one there, save for the swaying branches of the Magnolia.

But not to the five-tailed fox: he held the trained eye of a royal guard. The instant the strange, mute servant disappeared, he immediately saw her by the entrance of the green flower maze, peeking playfully at his befuddled charge.

Then a swipe of her hand to the lush green wall of the maze, and a cluster of flowers came into full blossom.

The wind blew softly, sending a trail of petals to the Lady's way. Rin's attention snapped yet again. She saw the abundance of flowers, coaxing her into the puzzling green labyrinth.

Rin stood up and darted into the maze.

The young man's heart hammered erratically as he sprang from hiding and chased after. What if she was being tricked? What if the empty-masked stranger was malevolent? He ran, still concealed heavily by fox-fire, never taking his sight off the grey-clad stranger.

Rin was chasing blindly, only following the trail of flowers on her feet, on the wall of the maze.

But he could see it: the stranger wound around the complex labyrinth, left, right, up, left…. leaving behind a spellbinding trail of breathtaking flora. His lady could barely catch her breath, and even his own feet were starting to ache. From all the stopping, turning, pivoting… but the downturn to his Lady's lips had ceased, it was replaced with a curious spark, reflecting the petals that were carried by the wind.

The Lady Rin continued to chase after her mysterious phantom, the frustrating game of tag held no signal to an end.

But end it did, when the Lady Rin suddenly halted.

She stepped back.

Before her was a magnificent wall of flowers, all fully bloomed. Stationary, closed-off: she had reached a dead-end of the maze. Rin looked beside her, then to the other.

Empty.

She turned around sharply in attempts to figure out where her phantom could have escaped.

The wind, who seemed to be privy to their mysterious game, settled down into a whispering breeze. There was not a soul in sight. Then a crunch to the ground and Rin stilled: someone was standing behind her.

The young Lady closed her eyes, the petals that she caught in her hand crushed in tense anticipation.

Then the grey-cloaked stranger placed a flower crown on the Lady Rin's head. In that instant, distant memories came trickling into his spirit:

" _Beautiful, isn't it?" The blue-eyed child said as she held his plush, motionless hand. She had just placed a flower crown over her beloved mound of fertile earth. They stood there for quite a while, admiring the sleeping soul that was yet to be. "I can't wait to finally see you."_

Rin opened her eyes, "Is that you…?" she whispered. She sharply turned around,

And the stranger was gone.

"Rin."

The Lady pivoted to his direction. Slowly, she reached for her head, and she took her flower crown into her hands.

Her golden eyes were wide and vulnerable, her lips slightly parted, as if she was pulled out in the middle of a reverie. She looked at him, and then to the flower crown.

She held the wreath of flowers tight.

"I don't know what happened," she muttered, "I might have gone insane… But I think…" the hold to her flower crown grew tighter, "I think…" She sputtered her words, unable to continue.

The Lady Rin couldn't even dare herself to hope.

The young man gathered the stunned Lady in his arms, and she held on to him tight.

* * *

 _-Hazakura-_

"Yume descended the Holy Mountains to journey to Higher Hazakura in search of her Traveler, Ryukotsusei. She heard the most excruciating rumor, whispered to her by the faeries of the Western Winds. Even then, that was the only part the storm-faerie could dare tell the little Kagome."

"Why? Was the rumor too painful to tell?" He tilted his gaze tot the Miko-clad woman. There was a sinking feeling to his stomach.

Souten nodded her head. "The storm-faerie could not bear to tell the little Traveler, whose heart was full of hope.

But it was in their first descent into the deadly Fields of Alice did Kagome find out.

Their first descent, the first truth that came uncovered. Unprepared, unexpected. Imagine stepping into a new world, completely different from your own… and this is what greeted you?"

"The painful rumor… it's about Ryukotsusei's fate, isn't it?" Souta asked softly.

The Miko quietly nodded her head.

* * *

 _-Higher Hazakura-_

Kagome stumbled into the back door, relieved to find out that the chaos in the kitchen calmed down. She giggled, for the mist sprite and remaining wind faeries were restless, ecstatic from the game they had just played.

 _Will you come and play with us a little bit longer?_

 _Pretty traveler, please!_

They tugged at her stubbornly, she shook her head, laughing.

"Where the heck have you been?!" Came a most familiar voice. The blue-eyed woman's gaze snapped up only to see the flustered face of her most trusted friend, Sango.

"Uhm, outside?" she answered tentatively, and she stilled, seeing the dumbfounded reaction on Sango's face.

"Why are you even covered with flowers?" Sango watched, confused, as Kagome dusted the blanket of petals that had stuck to her cloak. "The garden hasn't even bloomed yet," she attempted to make sense of what was before her, but she failed miserably.

"Never mind," Sango snapped, finally giving up. "Come with me," she reached out and seized Kagome's wrist.

"Where are we going? Where is everyone?"

"They're watching the final practice for the play," Sango muttered impatiently, dragging Kagome along.

"The _play_?" She tilted her head but allowed her friend to manhandle her to her heart's content.

"Master Sesshomaru's engagement?" Sango raised a brow, expecting Kagome to follow. But she was only rewarded with a confused, heartbroken stare, as they continued to hastily walk through the winding hallways of the castle. "It's a resplendent affair, nobility from the far realms are expected to come. A grand ceremony, colossal banquet, and of course… entertainment."

They suddenly stopped, right before a shoji door.

Kagome knew those doors opened to a well-maintained _Gekijo._

"I kind of thought… that since your memories are still a little awry, maybe you needed to see this." Sango quietly pushed the door aside. The stage was lit, the characters were settled on the platform.

Kagome's heart almost stopped, upon seeing a strangely gut-wrenching set-up. "What's this?" Kagome whispered, finding it hard to speak, the air in her lungs knocked away.

Sango gently pulled her in as they maneuvered in the dark, careful not to disturb the quiet audience.

"It's the story about the brave Sakura Inu General,

And how he slayed the Rampaging Blue-Maned Dragon."

* * *

She was thankful that everything was dark. No one could see her unexplained trembling, not a soul will be able to witness the uncalled tears.

Her legs felt hollow,

It was a miracle that she was able to walk to their spot.

An ache like no other drowned her breath,

Oh, how hard it was to breathe.

"I don't recall dragons… looking like that…" she tried to keep her quivering voice still. Why was she crying? She didn't know… she couldn't discern. Yet she was trying to see through the blur of her tears.

The dragon before her was nothing like the illustrations in the history books. Instead of a mystical, ethereal sentinel, the creature before her was hideous… a behemoth of malice…

Snake-like tongue, jagged, grotesque fangs,

a revolting, _deformed monster_ …

with six thorn-like horns jutting out of its head.

"That's not a dragon," Kagome faltered, "You must be mistaken –" she reeled, but then she felt the steady hand of her companion gently reassuring her.

"No one really knows what a true dragon looks like," Sango said in a hush, "Not one who has seen them has lived. They are extremely rare entities.

But there is one thing that is known to be true: Dragons are harbingers of destruction,

They leave sorrow and devastation in its wake."

Kagome covered her mouth to stifle her sob. "No,"

"There were rumors that a dragon was set out for Higher Hazakura, and so the brave Inu General Touga set out on a long journey to chance upon the rampaging monster before it could set foot on our sacred land."

"No," Kagome cried.

The monstrous entity was positioned on the wooden platform, quiet and devoid of movement. The fully armored Inu-General crept up behind him, unnoticed.

Sango shifted from beside her, "The dragon was prophesized to be unconquerable. But the Inu General was wise. He caught the blue-maned dragon in one of its most vulnerable moments:

In the middle of its slumber."

Kagome shook her head, and she flinched when the general seized one of the sleeping dragon's horns. The Inu brandished his sword.

"No," Kagome whimpered.

The monster opened its fiery eyes, and it looked at the general,

its executioner,

straight in the eye.

"What is your name?" the Inu asked.

"Ryukotsusei." The dragon answered.

And the Inu General struck, shattering the monster's horn.

"NO!" Kagome screamed.

The staged play stopped. The actors halted, the audience looked around, bewildered. Kagome stood in the middle of it all, still concealed in the darkness of the theatre,

Her form still hidden under her enchanted mask.

Her heart was thundering, she was struggling to breathe.

And the world around her started closing in….

"Kagome," Sango reached out in concern. But Kagome pulled away, staggering like a wasted drunk, "Kagome are you alright?"

She pushed Sango's hand away. Kagome darted out of the nauseating darkness, as fast as her weakened legs could take her.

 _~Why am I crying?_

She ran, tripping over her own feet, bumping into unknown objects. She couldn't see from the horrible blur of tears,

 _~Why am I distraught?_

She didn't know how, but she found herself in the middle of the flower maze, under the golden-tinged light of the afternoon.

Around her the green, empty lush proliferated, and everything blossomed into bright, vivid colors around her, as the flower faeries looked over her in concern.

She could not shake the image off, no matter how hard she tried. Flashes of the dragon being held down and slain by the general kept flashing in her mind.

Kagome took off her mask, unable to take the stifling restriction. She grit her teeth in frustration, her tears spilled. The blue-eyed woman, with one deep breath,

Finally allowed her unexplained emotions to flow.

She cried, not questioning the source of her anguish, closing her eyes, allowing herself to feel.

 _Ryukotsusei…._

She clutched her heart tight, the name bringing a lonely, yearning calm to her heart.

She finally opened her eyes, and she looked up to the twelve-moon sky.

"It's so odd…" Kagome whispered to her quiet audience, and she found herself surrounded by a bed of flowers.

The flower faeries had gathered around her, casting full blossoms on her feet:

Their little offering, to appease her tears.

"I feel so lost," she said to her little friends, "I can't discern anymore…

Which memories are real or not…"

The quiet sprites settled down beside her, and they dropped their little heads down and cried. They stayed that way for a while, until the golden tinge of the afternoon slowly faded, and the first of a million stars peeked shyly through the darkening sky.

Her heart finally calmed.

The gentle, ever-present wind softly blew, whirling in her hair, carrying her tears away. The flower blossoms danced with the prod of the wind as it drifted beyond.

 _You will find your way,_

The little voices said,

 _Pretty little traveler…_

 _Listen to your spirit, you will find your way._

Kagome let out a deep sigh, and she lifted her head, allowing the evening breeze to hit her weary, exhausted face. The air was cool against her wet skin, and she watched quietly as stars started to fill the night sky.

Then the wind threw a soft caution,

And Kagome turned. Her eyes widened in surprise.

A hidden figure stepped out of the shadows of the flower maze, and the blue-eyed woman had to squint, unable to translate the unfamiliar body.

He was a young man clad in a royal guard's armor. Fiery red hair, emerald-green eyes, five fox-tails twitching nervously behind…

It was when she saw the little rip on his right ear did she seem to recognize.

"So it really is you…" his face in restrained torment,

Tears of anger threatening against his steeled eyes.

 _Memories of a small fox-plush, sitting astute beside her precious mound of fertile earth…_

Kagome held her breath, unable to believe the words she was about to utter:

"Shippo?"


End file.
